Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Executive Chairman Leslie Miller said yesterday that line staff at the corporation will now work on a shift system as of March 1, a delay of almost a month.
Miller said the delay is intended to get the union onboard as "We just want to work with each other." He suggested that if BEC could not reduce its expenses layoffs were possible.
Miller previously said the shift system would be introduced on February 1 to save the struggling corporation millions of dollars in excessive overtime.
However, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Stephano Greene said his members had no intention of working any such system yesterday or in the future.
But Miller said the system would go ahead regardless of the union's stance.
"All of the employees should work in the best interest of the corporation and by the extension themselves," he said.
"The board will do what is necessary to enhance the welfare of the corporation, whatever that is, including some layoffs if it is deemed necessary. It's up to him (Greene); the ball is in his court."
Miller said members of the executive management team, President of the Trade Union Congress Obie Ferguson, and the union discussed the matter on Thursday, although that meeting did not go as planned.
"Fifteen minutes into the meeting with Mr. Obie Ferguson explaining the rationale behind it, the president of the union Mr. Greene got up and said he's leaving, [because] he had to go and pick up his wife," Miller said.
"He signaled to the rest of his team and they left with him. Of course, he left on BEC's time and then the meeting was over."
However, Greene described the meeting as brief and said the union is not opposed to negotiating with Miller.
"The union has not negotiated any shift system with the corporation and until that happens there will be no shift system; however, BEC does have a 24-hour shift system in place now where we have [some] shift workers, who work at the power station and on emergency," he said.
"The union sat in the meeting with management where they presented their thoughts and ideas and they said they would send a communication to the union in writing, and next week we will receive that, and move forward from there."
Miller said he hoped Greene would "come to his senses" and see the move as necessary "if he is really interested in his membership here at BEC".
"You cannot be so disrespectful to the board and a person like Mr. Ferguson," Miller said.
"...I was shocked really, but I say you know, I guess the guy is feeling us out and he wants to show us he in charge, that they own BEC, and that the people of The Bahamas have no say, and the board of directors have no say, and so he did what he did."
Overtime pay at BEC last year exceeded $11.8 million.

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