Members of the various umbrella unions are calling for the Bahamian government to intervene in the recent price increase to Cable Bahamas’ basic package.
Members from the various unions met yesterday in Rawson Square to host a silent protest to the cable providers recent increase in prices. Unions said not only is the price increase an issue, but also the fact that Cable Bahamas has disregarded its Bahamian employees.
“The government is quite aware of the fact that Cable Bahamas has no regard for the trade union movement in this country. They were supposed to come to the table to hammer out an industrial agreement for years now, and they failed to do so,” President of the Public Service Union John Pinder said.
“So the ill treatment that they show to their staffers and the disregard and disrespect shown to the trade union movement in this case the BCPOU, who has gotten the rights to be the bargaining agent for its employees, we simply feel as though the government ought not to allow that to happen at this time.”
Cable Bahamas submitted an application for price increase to its SuperBasic television package on October, 2014.
The proposed price increases for residential customers are from $30 to $38 which would be a 27 per cent increase. The price increase has since December last year been approved by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA).
The approval by URCA will allow Cable Bahamas to implement the new prices in areas where it has a two-way digital cable network only which would be New Providence, Grand Bahamas and parts of Eleuthera.
Last year in November The National Congress of Trade Unions of the Bahamas (NCTUB) and the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) demanded that the cable provider sign an industrial agreement and also fire it top foreign executives in 21 days or else they threatened to boycott services.
“For 20 years Cable Bahamas has existed making record profits and you’re telling me you can’t find a white Bahamian, black, white, green, whatever to head cable Bahamas. What are you trying to say to us? Are you trying to tell us we’re stupid? And that’s the way we feel. We feel Cable Bahamas is telling us we ain’t paying no attention to them, they’re idiots; because they cant even see that we here with five foreigners to the top of Cable Bahamas. How that could happen in this country?” President of the Bahamas Electrial Workers Union Peter Maynard said.
According to Mr. Pinder, since their demand made last year, nothing has since happened except a call. Mr. Pinder said if no action is done to reduce rates in Cable Bahamas, he will be calling all unions to host a protest and boycott services. So far a letter has been written to the Prime Minister, Perry Christie, but no action has been taken.
