Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) officials are firing back at recent claims of pending layoffs and management compensation.
In a release, the company staunchly dismissed such assertions as both “ludicrous” and “downright fake,” adding that Bahamas Communications Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President, Bernard Evans knows better.
Mr. Evans on Friday claimed that on average Cable & Wireless’ local executives pocket nearly $500,000 in annual salary and benefits and “they want more.”
BTC is jointly owned by C&W (51%) and the government (49%).
C&W has both management and Board control.
“We own 49 per cent of BTC. But it seems to be a very quiet and weak 49 per cent. That changes after our convention.
We’re ready to go to war and we’re not going to sit by and let these people do what they want with us, our managers and our line staff,” Mr. Evans said during his address to the BCPOU’s 39th annual convention on Thursday.
Adding to those claims, former BTC CEO, Leon Williams told BCPOU members that next year, the company will further reduce its workforce to 600.
“BTC management and staff have been working hard on the transformation of the company – addressing the network issues and seeking to improve customer care. And while we are hard at work trying to deliver better service to our customers, we have leadership of our non-management union engaged in what can best be described as mischievous efforts to undermine team morale and to distract from the very important tasks of making things better for our BTC customers and our BTC team members,” BTC CEO, Geoff Houston said in a release.
“There is absolutely no truth to the contention that BTC is planning mass layoffs; none, zero. I have spoken at BTC team meetings around the country just a few short months ago to tell staff in person that while BTC must become more efficient in an increasingly competitive market, we are working hard to improve and build our business so that team members can have new, more exciting opportunities within BTC.”
Mr. Houston added that while BTC seeks to avoid discussion on the whole issue of compensation, he is compelled to point out that the allegations made by Mr. Evans are “completely absurd and wholly false.”
“BTC management notes that for the company and its team members to succeed, all stakeholders have to be aligned and work in good faith to set the foundation for the long term success of BTC,” he said.
“The company is hopeful that all BTC stakeholders can continue to work in a spirit of cooperation to the benefit of the company and its hundreds of thousands of customers.”
