|
From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamian Politics What the Christie administration has succeeded in doing however, is ushering in new levels of uncertainty for scores of employees at BTC, who since March of this year, have been forced into a game of Russian Roulette with management as they wait for the company to pull the trigger and effectively end their employment. In recent weeks, leaders of the unions representing those workers have had public clashes with the company over the apparent culture of secrecy that has kept them in the dark about which of its members would be affected by the terminations. The Democratic National Alliance feels that it is most unfortunate that these hardworking Bahamians – many of whom have served the company for many years – have not been properly informed about their respective futures. With the country’s economy still struggling to find a solid footing, keeping these employees in the dark is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment. Each employee to be cut should have been made aware of the company’s decision well in advance in order to fully plan their next move and protect the livelihoods of their respective families. Unsurprisingly, this government led by Prime Minister Perry Christie has been deafeningly quiet on this matter. In the months after taking office, this Christie administration made a public spectacle of its efforts to reclaim “controlling interest” in BTC. Negotiations between the government and the principals of Cable and Wireless dragged on for months and at the conclusion of those talks, Mr. Christie and his cabinet boasted about the landmark deal which he promised would make the government an equal shareholder with Cable and Wireless and ultimately result in major benefits for employees of the company and the wider public as well. In the face these redundancies though, we are forced to ask: WHO HAS CONTROLLING INTEREST IN BTC? WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS? For all its efforts and bragging about the 2% take-back, the Christie administration still has nothing to show in terms of actual power or influence in the management and operation of BTC. The government’s inaction on behalf of these workers whom it swore to protect is yet another strike against the PLP’s credibility and effectiveness as a government. After months of doing nothing, it is time for Mr. Christie to INTERVENE on behalf of these workers as he did for the workers of BAHA MAR. The Prime Minister can no longer be allowed to cherry-pick which labor issues he will address. THE TIME TO ACT on behalf of ALL WORKERS IS NOW! Branville McCartney DNA Leader
|
The government’s announcement of cellular liberalization has
so far failed to usher in any of the benefits that Bahamians were promised. In
fact, by all accounts liberalization has stalled entirely with the government
failing yet again to meet its own self-imposed deadlines.