President of the Bahamas Communications Public Officers Union (BCPOU), Dino Rolle is urging the government to step up and defend Bahamian workers at the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC).

The company is continuing to downsize while employees watch dozens of jobs shipped overseas to regional offices, performed by foreigners. 

Mr. Rolle insisted that there is nothing anyone “in this region or beyond can do that Bahamians cannot do”.

He added, “If BTC’s revenue is earned here, then the workers of this country should stand to benefit”.

In a release issued yesterday, Mr. Rolle indicated that every CEO since 2011 came with a mandate to further downsize the company to prepare for competition in the cell phone market. 

He added, “the current CEO, Mr. Garfield Sinclair arrived in August, off the heels of  a downsizing started by his predecessor, Mr. Dexter Cartwright  in April. However, before Mr. Sinclair’s bags were unpacked, the CEO expressed the company’s desire to further downsize.  

“When it was determined that the staff was oversized, my members were targeted for separation. When the company needed to prepare for competition, my members had to go. When the company needed to improve/maintain its bottom-line, again my members were sacrificed”, he said. 

The union president added that BTC’s mission statement appears to be “cut expenses, rather than grow revenue”. 

He called for a plan to grow and stabilize the company  and create a working environment that his members are happy and proud to be a part of.