Prime Minister Perry Christie said he is concerned about how business is conducted in Grand Bahama, especially in light of recent layoffs at the Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC).
The prime minister’s comments came just days after 19 Grand Bahamians were sent to the unemployment line after being laid off from GBPC – the island’s only utility company.
He said the government was not even aware of the layoffs until the announcement was made in the media.
“The government is trying to see how it is able to assist those people who were laid off,” he told reporters yesterday.
“The government has a deep concern over the way in which matters take place in Grand Bahama with specific reference to the power company. We are not going to be silent about this issue. The Minister of Labour [Shane Gibson] has paid close attention to this particular matter. It is now under active scrutiny and active investigations are ongoing as well.”
GBPC, which is owned by Canadian company Emera, recently opened an $80 million plant in West Sunrise.
GBPC’s Vice President of power generation Whitney Heastie said recently the layoffs were necessary to turn the company around.
According to GBPC, most of the redundancies came from the Peel Street station.
“When we did the full assessment, taking into account changes in technologies and practices, we came up with the best skill set to run the remaining assets at the Peel Street Plant,” Mr. Heastie said.
Officials said in order for them to improve operations and stabilize energy costs for customers the company had to reorganise roles and accountabilities throughout the organisation.
The workers who were laid off were called into one-on-one meetings and told the bad news.
Affected employees have gotten remunerated and have been given support to assist them as they move forward.
The company said it is “deeply grateful” for the workers’ years of service to the organisation.
Grand Bahamians are paying more than three times the cost of electricity in nearby Florida.
The Department of Statistics recently revealed that Grand Bahama’s unemployment rate stood at 17.3 per cent, a decline from 21.2 per cent.
