BTC Workers Strike and form a human chain on BTC head office

25
2090

A breaking BP News Alert: BTC has launched a nationwide strike today forcing all of BTC offices closed. Workers formed a human changed around the headquarters building and will now strike against the sale of the company to Cable and Wireless.

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25 COMMENTS

  1. check out this website…how can THEY know BTC is a cash cow when our own Government can’t realize it.

    In 5 years Cable and Wireless can make back the amount they paid for BTC. Why bring in a foreign company to run a telecommunications company far beyond their level of technology? C&W have yet to establish 3g and NGN technology within their own company.

    ARE YOU SERIOUS?

  2. Man all i want is better service. We aint getting that only thing we getting is high cell phone rates for phones that dont work good. Trust me alot of spin off jobs will happen for those same people who they will let go from BTC. Some of them aint doing shit anyhow but filing a bunch of paper and packing high bills to send out. I dont care who they sell it to it just need to get fix man. SELL BEC NEXT AND WATER AND SEWAGE. Wish they could sell the PASSPORT OFFFICE too.

  4. selling to C&W will not guarantee lower rates or better service. If we want better service the government can get its hands off the management and let BTC be run independently. Many decisions or lack thereof at BTC has been because politicians have stopped or promoted various agendas, at the expense of productivity or better service. Also instead of the bahamian govt getting those huge dividends from BTC now they will get only 49% of whatever amt. C&W chooses to pay out in dividends. Therefore the monies the govt no longer gets from a privatized BTC they will now try and get from increased taxes from the consumer. So how will selling BTC be beneficial to Bahamians? Furthermore, the Bahamian economy cannot afford to let so many persons be unemployed during this terrible economy. What jobs will they get? If they start businesses, who will patronize their business? Businesses now are suffering from lack of customers. Lastly, even great packages cannot compensate persons 1, 2 or 3 years down the road, when they are left jobless, monies gone, businesses busted and still bills to be paid. Is the govt telling us there really are no opportunities for Bahamians in the Bahamas except for labourers and lawyers and that perhaps we need to start hunting for jobs in the US, Canada or the Caribbean? I encourage every Bahamian student studying abroad to investigate your job oppportunities abroad and try to make a life there. Don’t come back. Sorry.

    • FIRE THEM…….stop the politics, we need better, everytime change comes they try hold the govt hostage, FIRE,FIRE, FIRE Them they already to slack and over paid while so many of us need work and better conditions

  6. EXECUTIVES OF THE BCPOU TOUCHED DOWN IN FREEPORT LAST NIGHT, WAGING WAR AGAINST THE BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT. ..THIS AFTER THEY SHUT DOWN SERVICES ALL DAY MONDAY IN NASSAU– PROTESTING THE SALE OF THE COMPANY TO CABLE AND WIRELESS. EXECUTIVES CHANTED: THIS IS WAR! WE ARE IN A WAR, NOTING THAT THIS WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT THE UNION HAS EVER HAD TO FACE. HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT PUT UP A SHIELD IN THE FORM OF AN INJUNCTION – WHICH ORDERED MEMBERS TO RETURN TO WORK TOMORROW – OR ELSE FACE A FINE OR IMPRISONMENT. THE EXECUTIVES RECEIVED THE SUMMONS DURING A HIGHLY CHARGED MEETING WITH BTC STAFF IN GRAND BAHAMA ….WHERE THEY REVEALED THAT THE SEVERANCE PACKAGES BEING OFFERED ARE ONLY RESERVED FOR EMPLOYEES OVER THE AGE OF 49….YES, THEY ARE RETIREMENT PACKAGES. LEADERS FEEL LIKE THIS MOVE BY THE GOVERNMENT IS REGRESSIVE AND TOLD MEMBERS THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAS SOLD THEM OUT….HENCE, THROWING THE POPULAR SLOGAN OF THE GOVERNING FNM PARTY BACK IN ITS FACE: IT AINT LONG NOW. THEY REPORTED THAT THE DEAL WITH CABLE AND WIRELESS ALLOWS THEM TO FURTHER DOWNSIZE THE COMPANY TWO YEARS AFTER THE SALE, MEANING NO-ONE IS SAFE. THEY SAID THAT IT IS TIME FOR GRAND BAHAMIANS TO STAND TOGETHER AND SHOW THEIR STRENGTH IN NUMBERS…AND WITH A FEW TRICKS STILL UP THEIR SLEEVES THEY ASKED MEMBERS TO STILL HONOUR THE INJUNCTION….

  7. I secondly agree with Jerome, and totally believe the BTC workers should be ready for a change. Its human nature and business strategies to expect some success and failures, and if you do look at C&W efforts, there are some bad reports, but people learn from situations and progress forward.I am tired of BTC attitude and horrible service, Bahamas the ones who are striking are the ones who are frighten for their job because they know at one point in their working period, they robbed the Bahamas. They rob Bahamians for poor services, coming in late, sick days when they in Miami shopping, stealing time, not giving 100 percent, and in some cases stealing from the company…… However, I believe a human being should always express their rights, but they should always give reasoning too. Let us see why you struggle, why you are hurt, and why your voice should be heard….because before BTC was fine and perfect…but after a sale….you making noise…If a worker is reading these comments…let us know what we are not seeing that cause you want to strike

  8. I agree (Jerome), Its time to move on to better service providers. When Bahamians had the all these years to give us better they didn’t. They each act as if the had their jobs giving to them as a birth right. Bahamians need to understand that nothing is promised and there is always good in change. Hubert is trying to give us better. The government pay millions of dollars to civil servants every year to not do a job. When they retire they leave all that work for someone else to do and get a nice pension. They could then move on to work in the private sector and they hate to see young persons come into work in government.
    I think we need all the changes that is coming and if 300 persons needs to be fired then do so. Maybe now the other government services would straigthen up and fly right. I’m sure if you think about Hubert would not sell and government service if the could have pulled their own weight, contribute monies to the economy and a good service. Why should I continue to carry the weight of a service that costs the government millions of dollars a year, charge Bahamians ridiculous rates and no one is satisfied with the service.
    Stop, Look and Listen Bahamians!!!!!

  9. B.T.C should have been sold to a private entity long ago,as well as Bahamasair,B.E.C and Water and Sewerage the services at these establishments are horrible Bahamians are sick and tired of lousy services and bad attitudes for as long as i could remember B.T.C was a polictical job abused by both sides now the gravy train is over Hubert just had the balls to do what Perry would not do,and dont mind the P.L.P if they get back in power they would not change a thing its all about them the F.N.M may not make good decisions but at least they made one,what alternative has the P.L.P Offered?stop REVIEW CANCELL?Bahamians are tired of hearing that bullshit,we are more educated now,so you need to come with something else,but i do hope for the sake of our country some of these young people take over form a new party because they are there,we need to get rid of hubert,perry,bradley them lousy F.N.M cabinet ministers and them crooked mps on both sides.

  10. We have become so used to mediocrity that we are willing to pay top dollar for rock bottom services. We seem willing to embrace nationalism for the sake of nationalism even to our own detriment. This stunt by BTC employees was an exercise in futility. Fact is, the Bahamas is poised for great growth over the next decade, and a state-of-the-art telecommunication system is going to be essential to this process. I know first hand that C&W provides state-of-the-art services in the Caribbean at costs of which Bahamians only dream of. If BTC has excess staff that is not essential to the delivery of these advanced services, guess who pays for them – you and me through exorbitant prices, obsolete and out-dated equipment. Bahamians need to move forward, upward, onward and together by divesting itself of bloated dinosaurs like BTC which is only holding us back.

    • Eagle – this is not necessarily the truth. The quality of service of C&W is not at the high level you state. If so, then Digicel would not be gaining market share year after year. Also, there is not one place where C&W has rolled out 3G service. It is trying in Jamaica now, but it is not rolled out. I encourage all to actually research C&W Communications int he region. This is not a protest against privatization, it is a protest against C&W.

  11. If change is inevitable let change profit us not hurt us and our children’ s children..if any profit isbtherevto be gained we the Bahamian people should benefit. Sell the company, ifbyou must, but to us, to our Bahamian people, a majority of us not a selected few…sell it to us….I think we can handle a profit of 300 million plus per year.

  12. I suppose after all these years with BTC many feel we need better service and selling it to outsiders will guarantee better service.Maybe so but we continue to lose our credibility when we loose faith in ourselves.Bahamians should be the majority shareholders or the Government. Thats the bahamianting.

  13. why the bahamian people seems to be so stupid , we should be glad that the goverment came to the decision of selling a certain portion of btc ….. btc is behind time so bad and plus they over charging the poor people for services sometimes which dont even work properly …… get use to it people its not the end of the world …………..

  14. Be careful what you wish for. C&W has a terrible track record. When you will have to pay for local calls, I hope you enjoy it.

  16. Its about time. The truth about the matter is if anyone purchase BTC they will make cut backs. It’s time for us to move forward and pave the way for reliable service and competitive rates. These workers can’t be serious. Boy I guess all dem who M.P. then get them this job have many sleepless nights. SELL BTC QUICK FAST AND HURRY.

  18. “why”, This is the problem in our country right now! People like you who want us not to be ‘NATIONALIST’! We as Bahamians need to stand up for our country and protect what is ours, and not apologize for doing so. BTC should not be “given to anyone outside of the Bahamas for 51% and we get only 49%. Then you have the government saying from the onset, “Bahamians Need Not Apply?” You gat to be kidding me! THIS IS DUMB, STUPID, AND RETARDED1!!!!!

    • Pat, it’s perfectly fine to have pride in our nation, but let’s not waste these feelings on a phone company. I completely agree that we should all have the opportunity to own a percentage of all of the utilities and future telecom companies, but not freak out and make a big deal about issues that are really not that big of a deal. The cell service will become less expensive and eventually we will have another carrier that employs even more Bahamians. It’s all good.

  19. BTC employees using those lazy hands to make a human chain around the building..maybe they should use those slack hands to take their packages on their way out the door…its time for a change!

  21. It’s a bloated government entity that will only lose value over time, especially once the second cellular license is issued in 3 years. Why make noise over something that is inevitable? The sooner BTC is sold, the sooner we can get going with the second license, which will be a real player hopefully like Digicel, AT&T. Then, we will finally have a more competitive market, better pricing and broadband wireless data. Let’s move forward, not be stuck in the past with the silly nationalist thought process.

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