The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) released a statement yesterday touting its voluntary separation exercises as "successful" and "smooth" and on track with the company's business plan expectations. The voluntary separation package offers ended Friday and BTC revealed that those people who accepted the packages could begin departing the company as soon as the middle of July. Chief executive officer of BTC Geoff Houston said the company is now in the process of evaluating the applications of those who accepted packages, in order to formulate a strategy to keep the company functional while downsizing its staff. "We are pleased to report that the entire process related to the offer of voluntary packages to staff has gone fairly smoothly," said Houston in the statement. "We are now starting the next phase, which is to evaluate the applications and facilitate the disengagement process for successful applicants in a way that maintains the integrity of the operations and ensures proper standards for customer service." Houston said the employees who have accepted the packages have done so in an amicable manner. "We are grateful to all colleagues for the very professional manner in which they have conducted themselves throughout the process so far, and anticipate their continued professionalism as we move to the next phase of this exercise," he said. Before the deal to sell 51 percent of the state-owned BTC to CWC was finalized, many company employees protested the sale along with BTC union leaders, who did not want the company sold to CWC. They advocated for BTC to be sold to Bahamians. Those voluntary separation packages were negotiated with employees as part of the deal made with the government when CWC purchased BTC in April. BTC gave employees 30 days to accept the packages.  Cable and Wireless Communications -- the majority owner in BTC -- previously indicated that it wanted to reduce the employee count at BTC by 30 percent. More than 1,100 people are on the payroll at BTC. Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) president Bernard Evans said last week that as far as he was aware, more than 500 workers had applied for the packages. The application deadline was yesterday. Last month Houston would not disclose the number of BTC employees who had accepted packages, or how much money was set aside for the exercise. Houston said, however, that one of the company's biggest concerns was that too many people would apply to leave BTC.

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