Executives of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) said while chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Leslie Miller is so concerned about how much money the government has had to shell out in overtime pay for workers, the union is calling on the government to investigate the account books at the corporation claiming that Mr. Miller has been on a spending spree since taking over.
BEWU President Stephano Greene said in the short seven months that Mr. Miller and his executive team has been at the helm, the corporation has shelled out millions of dollars in “unnecessary spending,” and that includes the staff’s annual Christmas Party that was held at Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace.
Mr. Greene said the company’s Christmas party at Mario’s, the entertainment palace owned by the family of the BEC chairman, cost in excess of $60,000.
“At this point in time in the corporation where the chairman is complaining about high electricity costs and extra spending at BEC, we’re going to now go ahead and spend $1 million for a parking lot, we’re going to spend monies on what we consider to be unnecessary vehicles when we have vehicles that need to be purchased for us to work out in the field.
“We have a situation that we have about the Christmas Party that took place at Mario’s Bowling Palace where for years we have sacrificed to have the party in the yard to save money.”
Defending himself and his actions as BEC chairman, Mr. Miller said the BEWU is simply drumming up accusations to deflect attention from the issue at hand.
“The Christmas party was held at Mario’s and I think everyone submitted a bid or a venue for it and it was done as a commercial entity,” he said. “Everyone had a good time and as usual that crew, the overtime crew, decided to boycott; not only Mario’s but they have boycotted every party.
“They are the overtime crew and believe that the management and the government and BEC and the people of The Bahamas can’t say anything to them because they think they own BEC. I have no shares in Mario’s, my daughters run in I have nothing to do with it.”
On Tuesday nearly 100 BEC workers gathered on the corporation’s grounds to protest Mr. Miller speaking out about the $11.8 million paid out last year in overtime pay.
The workers are now on work to rule and will not work any hours beyond their 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. shifts.
Mr. Greene said the money paid to workers is not the money the country should be worried about and added that there is some BEC cash flow that ought to be investigated.
“In addition we have concerns about the amount of foreign contractors being employed at BEC in Clifton Pier, at Blue Hills and throughout the entire Bahamas,” Mr. Greene added. “Our members can perform this work and it does not need to be subcontracted out. This is what is causing the light bills to be so high.”
