That decision was made by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) board, Minister of Works and Utilities Bradley Roberts told the Progressive Liberal Party Convention Tuesday night at the Wyndham Nassau Resort Crystal Palace Casino.
He told the convention delegates the decision represents the fulfilment of a PLP campaign promise.
Interest on security deposits began Oct. 1 with the Bahamas Electricity Corporation. It is expected that a similar announcement for the Water & Sewerage Corporation will be made in early 2004.
Also giving an update on BTC’s new GSM cellular overlay network in New Providence and Grand Bahama, Minister Roberts said the $28 million network when completed, will allow the moratorium placed on cellular subscription in January of this year to be lifted.
He said it is also anticipated that the offering of new cellular services will be available in December, 2003. The new GSM network will initially be able to accommodate an additional 90,000 subscribers in New Providence and Grand Bahama.
In the meantime, BTC’s engineers have already designed the GSM overlay for the island of Abaco and will begin installation in the first quarter 2004, progressing to deployment for the rest of The Bahamas.
Mr Roberts also pointed out that BTC has been able to reduce its average repair time for telephone faults from months to days, and is in the process of introducing a plan where, if your telephone is disrupted and is out of service for more than 48 hrs, subscriber’s rental for the month will be credited.
Shifting his focus to Bahamasair, Minister Roberts said the revenues at Bahamasair have declined over the past two fiscal years ending June 2002 and June 2003 by $7.6 million (10.4 percent) and $3.0 million respectively. On the other hand, he said that operating expenses have also decreased appreciably by $14.9 million (14 percent) and $4.5 million for the same periods.
“The reasons for the decline in revenue are all too well known as we here in The Bahamas continue to feel the negative economic impact of the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center in New York,” said Minister Roberts.
Bahamasair, over the past two years, he continued, has only been able to add two new routes to its system: the Freeport/Miami route and a Nassau/Havana route, which had to be cancelled after four months due to poor load factors. He added however, that flights will commence shortly between Nassau and Haiti and Exuma and Ft. Lauderdale.
These additional routes, he said, were made possible by the acquisition of an additional Dash-8 aircraft and should contribute some $4.0 million in revenue over the next two years.
Shifting his focus to the existing industrial unrest at Bahamasair, Mr Roberts said that he deeply regretted the inconveniences to the Bahamian public as a result of the current industrial action taken by members of the AAAWU.
These actions, he said, appeared to have been unjustified and he has been advised that the union only filed the industrial dispute with the Labour Department on October 28, 2003.
“The union never allowed for the conciliation process to begin before taking industrial actions against the airline. Initially, the union claimed that the staff actions were a sick-out, however the Board and management discovered that this was not the case, but rather premeditated illegal industrial action in an attempt to inflict undue hardship on the traveling public and further financial burden on the taxpayers,” the Minister charged.
Mr Roberts said also that he had seen evidence that executives of the AAAWU attempted to dissuade a wet lease operator from assisting Bahamasair by making personal contact with the operator, telling them that there was an industrial dispute and that there would be no maintenance or fuel available at Nassau International Airport.
“I have also been advised that members of the AAAWU were seen at Saunders Beach yesterday partying well into the night. If you were sick, Fellow Delegates, would you be attending a party? This is disgraceful!” he said.
Mr Roberts also urged the president and Officers of the AAAWU to conduct their affairs in a sensible and mature manner because Bahamasair “is not an airline whose coffers are overflowing with money”, but, in fact, “bankrupt”.
“My strong advice to the union is to return to work forthwith and allow due processes to take place as was demonstrated by the President and Officers of the Bahamas Public Service Union,” Mr Roberts said.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
