Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union President Clinton Minnis has taken off the gloves now that the union's contract is signed, and yesterday roasted former Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Executive Chairman Leslie Miller, calling him "a union hater", charging that Miller was responsible for increased load-shedding and blackouts and warning that the brashness for which Miller is known will get him "flushed" from the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC), which Miller now chairs after having been removed from BEC.

Miller, meanwhile, dismissed the charge of union-hating, and again proclaimed that he would be back at BEC, because "the job isn't finished". Miller exited BEC in the wake of announcements that a transition service agreement had been signed with PowerSecure International, the company hired by the government to manage BEC. He took up office as executive chairman at WSC in November.

Minnis told Guardian Business Miller's exit from BEC was not voluntary.

"The former chairman was removed and sent to Water and Sewerage, and all the other board members and the deputy remains in place. Why? Mr. Miller needs to explain to the public why he was removed, and his deputy remains at BEC," Minnis said. "And he went to Water and Sewerage with the same brash attitude against workers. He is a union hater. Ms. Donna Smith (deputy chairman) has a more reasonable spirit.

"This is a season for reasoning -- you can see it all over this country. We need to reason. We don't need anybody hating, and that's why the government had to move him. We cannot go through a transition with a bully, because the public will have a problem," Minnis added.

Miller told Guardian Business he had nothing against any union.

"It is just a few of the greedy ones -- and that's not many at BEC -- less than 10 percent of the staff that gets all the benefits with regards to overtime. Obviously, Mr. Minnis fits into that category, and when his overtime was cut down as with everybody else, he would have gotten angry," he said.

Overtime
Minnis also attacked Miller's claims about overtime.

"When the government decides on the tariff -- what they are going to charge for electricity -- everything that goes into that figure, overtime, regular time, operational costs, whatever, everything is calculated within that amount. BEC has been profiting with overtime, with all the particulars included.

"So Mr. Miller's claim about overtime -- he may have put a dent in it because he pushed some people into a fear corner, but the corporation suffered. That's why we had more load-shedding under Mr. Miller, we had more blackouts under Mr. Miller, we had less maintenance that was strategic under Mr. Miller.

"So what do you want? You want reliability and quality of service? Or you want a fellow trying to save a couple dollars to keep some Bahamians out of a couple dollars to make himself look good? We're still making overtime because we have to prepare for the demands of every season," he said.

Miller explained that BEC operates in fall/winter mode, and in spring/summer mode. He argued that if maintenance is not carried out properly and adequately in the fall/winter season, "trouble coming in the spring/summer".

So overtime has to be incurred for regular scheduled maintenance. As a matter of fact, when the technical consultants come here, they are paid to work so many hours, and our people have to work and assist them. You can't get around how you maintain power generation equipment and overtime.

"So yes, you can save a few dollars, but it's going to cost you in the long run, and that's why they call him "Blackout Miller", because there was too much of an unprofessional approach to dealing with staff and the way we do business in BEC. So we still making overtime," Minnis confirmed.

"And its not collusion. It's a demand industry. That's what we're getting mixed up. If your light goes off now, you need a response now. If you don't have sufficient staff to deal with the problem, you have to call the people in, and people have to be on standby, so you have to pay them."

The return
Minnis charged that Miller had "misused his term on the backs of the Bahamian people".

"Mr. Miller, outside of all the brashness, when you talk to him, he's an okay guy, he just has this hate for unions," the union president said.

As for Miller's assertion that he will return to BEC following the 2017 election, Minnis said he could only see that if both the governing and opposition parties support him, plus PowerSecure.

"But, I can tell you, he did get shocked in BEC, and he gone to Water and Sewerage and they tell me they are going to flush him."

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