Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash yesterday called on Prime Minister Perry Christie to fire Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Chairman Leslie Miller immediately in response to the ongoing industrial action among employees at the corporation.
Mr. Cash said Mr. Miller’s reckless actions have led to a disruption of services to the public and employee morale at the corporation plummeting.
“The recent actions by Miller—the termination of a targeted female employee and the suspension of a union leader who had the backbone to stand up to a first-class BULLY—were entirely preventable had there been some competent leadership at the level of the Minister responsible for BEC,” Mr. Cash said.
“That type of leadership does not exist. So, it is high time for an intervention by a responsible grown-up at a higher level. Sadly, there is no alternative but to turn to the prime minister.”
BEC employees began industrial actions after an employee was dismissed and a top union official was placed on a five day suspension.
The FNM chairman said since being appointed, Mr. Miller has been “brazenly conducting himself like a one man wrecking crew with no restraint.”
He continued, “He [Mr. Miller] has disregarded contracts, intervened in the day-to-day operational activities of multiple departments and consistently engaged in vulgar tirades directed at management and staff all while using his position to protect his political and personal cronies.
“In the ordinary course of business the Free National Movement would endorse Mr. Miller’s stated objectives of trying to affect change in the corporation. Unfortunately, his actions have been almost entirely detrimental to his stated intentions. His bull-in-a-china-shop governance/management style is counterproductive to the necessary goal of establishing the kind of environment for the management and staff of BEC to buy in to his change programme.”
Mr. Cash said while the FNM agrees with Mr. Miller that change is needed at BEC, it nonetheless decries his treatment of the corporation’s management team who the FNM chairman claims Mr. Miller has shown complete contempt and behaved as though they are incompetent in the performance of their duties.
Further, Mr. Cash said he rests the blame for this matter at the feet of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works Philip Davis who he said has demonstrated that he cannot control Mr. Miller.
He further appealed to Prime Minister Christie to deal with the issue for the good of the corporation and the country.
