Hundreds of BEC workers walked off their jobs and refused to return to work until Corporation Chairman Al Jarrett and General Manager (designate) Kevin Basden are removed from their positions.
Labour Minister Vincent Peet was forced to cut short a trip to Andros, returning to New Providence to assist in diffusing the volatile situation.
Around 9 o’clock yesterday morning police officers were called to BEC’s Blue Hill Road head office when a workers union demonstration escalated into a scuffle involving union members, BEC security and the police.
The tense moments erupted when security personnel told Bahamas Electrical Workers Union members that they would not be allowed to enter the building, where upstairs, union president Dennis Williams and other union executives were supposed to be meeting with the corporation management.
By 8:30 a.m. hundreds of union members had assembled on the compound to support their president, whom they feared would be fired.
The employees said concern about Mr. Williams’ termination arose Wednesday when BEC executive management issued a statement in response to a statement released by the BEWU the day before.
In that release the BEWU took Mr. Basden to task, accusing him of not negotiating in good faith.
“The union alleges that Mr. Basden represents the hard line right-winged faction of BEC’s management team,” said Mr. Williams in the statement. “We would hope that the government of The Bahamas would train and equip leaders of major corporations with interpersonal skills before appointments.”
The statement continued, “We must remember that Adolf Hitler, the former Chancellor of Germany, brought economic prosperity through the Industrial Revolution within Germany in the early 1930s. Since Hitler had no interpersonal skills and did not believe in the fundamental theory of equality and justice for all 6 million Jews were massacred and Germany was decimated.”
The following day BEC executive management responded in a statement of its own defending Mr. Basden.
“Mr. Williams must realise that he is first an employee of the Corporation and is not above its rules and regulations and must be seen to be complying with the code of conduct established by the Corporation,” said the BEC statement.
“Mr. Williams’ actions and irresponsible behaviour is deemed to be reckless, malicious and a deliberate attempt to malign the integrity of the general manager (designate). This is considered a major breach of company policy,” the statement continued.
Shortly before 9 am yesterday a group of aggravated employees stormed the main entrance to the corporation’s head office, struggling with police and security personnel before eventually forcing their way into the building.
After the incident security officers closed and locked the doors, which only further annoyed many union members.
Emerging from the meeting a short time after, Mr. Williams rallied the union members and informed them of the new demands, which he made during the talks with anagement.
“No general manager designate, chairman or assistant general manager will be able to victimize me for affiliation with the union and representation of the same,” said the union president.
“This is a true day to show The Bahamas that workers are tired of the right-wing tyrannical leaders in these corporations and they need to go. The workers will sacrifice to the end until they are removed. We will not tolerate victimization anymore and we will not move until they are removed,” he added.
Elaborating on their demands, Mr. Williams and other union executives said they want Messrs. Jarrett and Basden not merely removed from any involvement with the negotiations for a new industrial agreement, but they want both executives to be fired.
Supporting that position union Secretary General Patricia Johnson also demanded the removal of the executives.
“What we are saying is that BEC has to be run and it has to be run not by dictators, but it has to be run progressively and it has to be run by democratic individuals who will see the needs for this company to go forward globally and so therefore it cannot be done with persons who will dictate to the employees,” said Ms. Johnson.
Arriving at the Blue Hill and Tucker Roads complex a short time after, General Secretary of the National Congress of Trade Unions umbrella organization, Robert Farquharson, supported the BEWU in its efforts.
“I want to put the management of BEC and the government on notice that if any attempt is made to take any disciplinary action against Dennis Williams or any member of the Board of the BEWU not only Batelco, the hotel workers union, the Bahamas Union of Teachers and the public service union will conduct an immediate strike whether its legal or illegal,” he said.
“We will close down this country without delay because the management of BEC and the government need to know that trade unionists will no longer be intimidated in this country,” he added.
Locked away in meetings all day Friday, Minister Peet, labour officials, union leaders and BEC management continued talks until press time with no report of a resolution in sight.
Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
