NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Philip Davis has assured workers at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) that there will be no layoffs at the company, as Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson stressed the union's strong disagreement with the government's proposal to grant contracts to foreign companies to manage, oversee, or maintain the company's assets.
Prime Minister Philip Davis met on Saturday with Wilson, BEWU executives, President Christopher Hanna, and executives of the Bahamas Electrical Utility Managerial Union (BEMU), along with Obie Ferguson, the President of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
"I was grateful for the opportunity to assure them that as our government works to bring much-needed change to our energy sector, there will be no layoff of workers at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL). Industrial agreements will continue to be honored, and commitments made to workers, including pension benefits, will be met," the Prime Minister stated.
The statement further noted that a critical element of the government's plans includes the training and upskilling of line staff at BPL.
"Modernizing our electricity infrastructure is necessary to meet the goals of energy reform: lowering costs for families and businesses, increasing reliability, and using cleaner sources of energy. Investing in our BPL workers will mean they are well-positioned to thrive in this evolving energy landscape," the Prime Minister stated.
"As we move forward together, we are grateful to the leaders and workers of BEWU and BEMU for their expertise, hard work, and dedication. We are committed to consulting closely with them and with other stakeholders as we work toward a brighter energy future."
Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson reiterated the union's strong disagreement with the government's proposal to grant contracts to foreign companies to manage, oversee, or maintain BPL's and the Bahamian people's assets.
"This is one of many egregious decisions that successive governments have made that strip Bahamians of ownership opportunities and undermine job stability for Bahamians, which dilutes the sovereignty of our nation. I ask that you do what is right in accordance with the law and the spirit for the people of the Bahamas and stop this deal," Wilson stated in an open letter to the Prime Minister following the meeting.
Wilson continued: "As you are aware, Prime Minister, sovereignty is strengthened when a nation has internal control of its territory that includes land, natural resources, and infrastructural systems like telecommunications, broadcasting systems, water, and electricity. Governments are continuing to deny the Bahamian People opportunities for empowerment and ownership by stripping us of industries and the handling and management of them, for what amounts to the price of a bowl of porridge."
Wilson noted that the sale and repositioning into foreign hands of utility companies like BTC and BPL can become a national security risk. "You would recall the recent decision made by a private water company to shut down services in Eleuthera in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. They don't care about Bahamian lives; they only care about their bottom line. Have we thought about what can happen when natural disasters strike? If the infrastructure is damaged beyond their bottom line, they might just pick up and run."
Energy and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, noted:
"Bahamians agree that big changes at BPL are long overdue. Our government's Energy Reform Roadmap is a comprehensive plan to reduce prices for Bahamian families and businesses, increase reliability and efficiency, add cleaner sources of energy, upgrade and modernize our outdated grid, upskill and train Bahamian workers, and strengthen the financial position of BPL, which will remain a government-owned utility. We are really looking forward to sharing important updates on these exciting and much-needed reforms in the coming days and weeks!"
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