President of The Bahamas Electrical Workers Union Dennis Williams has decided not to speak at the Free National Movement Convention this week even though his name already appears on the programme.
Mr. Williams is down to speak on Thursday night, but he confirmed to The Bahama Journal yesterday that he will not be addressing the delegates.
He said he presented a letter to FNM officials on Monday making it clear that he will not speak.
It is understood that the BEWU president is responding to calls by his members for him to stay away from the FNM convention.
The union is in the middle of a fiery industrial dispute with The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), demanding certain salary improvements, improvements to working hours and the worker’s pension plan.
Last week, Minister of Labour and Immigration Vincent Peet announced that after many weeks of negotiations, he forwarded the dispute to the Industrial Tribunal.
This means, he said, that there could be no industrial action.
FNM convention organizers had hoped that Mr. Williams would have been able to speak about the rocky industrial climate in the country and more specifically about his union’s dispute with BEC and its disappointment in the government.
Opposition officials have spoken repeatedly about how under the Christie Administration the country is experiencing unprecedented labour unrest.
Over the last several weeks, many unions have voiced various issues, grabbing headlines in the local dailies, and even staging protests in downtown Nassau.
Last week, Mr. Williams threatened to use his position as union president to help bring down the government.
In fact, after Minister Peet announced that the BEC dispute had been sent to the Tribunal, Mr. Williams told The Bahama Journal that he was encouraging all of his members to register to vote.
He predicted that there was going to be “great political fallout” as a result of the minister’s decision.
It was unclear who would replace Mr. Williams on the list of speakers on Thursday night.
Source: The Bahama Journal
