business@tribunemedia.net
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
$5.98
$5.98
$5.98
$6.06
Resolution in sight in BPL strike threat By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net
t &NQIBTJT PO mOEJOH NVUVBMMZ CFOFmDJBM TPMVUJPOT THE dispute between the Bahamas Electrical t 'PDVT PO NJOJNJTJOH SJTLT GPS #1- Workers Union (BEWU) and Bahamas Power and XPSLFST BOE FOTVSJOH TBGFUZ Light will be settled within the next few days, Tribune t %JTDVTTJPO BCPVU IB[BSEPVT Business has been told. Obie Ferguson, the QBZ BT B GVOEBNFOUBM JTTVF Trades Union Congress (TUC) president, told Tribune Business that the dispute should not have gotten this far, but the BEWU has a point on safety concerns and that it is up to BPL to ensure a safe working environment and the safety of their employers as reasonably practicable. “We would not want an accident at BPL. They deal with a lot of dangerous equipment, and
so they risk their lives on a daily basis.” Mr Ferguson added: “They (BEWU) are in discussions with BPL and I’m optimistic that as long as they are in those discussions with faith, there will be progress.
“What will also happen in short order, once the matter has been resolved, Kyle Wilson, (president of the BEWU) will make a proper statement after he would have apprised his membership. But he has to meet with his members and report to them on
the items that they have been negotiating on.” The BEWU held meetings with its membership last week and have agreed on a strike action against BPL over matters related to poor working conditions at several of the BPL sites and offices and the
SEE PAGE B5
BAHAMAS POWER & LIGHT (BPL) HEADQUARTERS
As gas prices rise, retailers ‘can’t contain this anymore’ By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS Petroleum Retailers Association’s (BPRA) president, Raymond Jones, said production cuts in the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are behind the rise in prices at the pump, which he said underscores the need for a margin increase for retailers as they “can’t contain this anymore”. Raymond Jones told Tribune Business that the oil cartel cut production in April, which is
now trickling down to the average consumer at the pump. “This is a global phenomenon and these things happen. It’s out of our control, but OPEC cut production a while back and so we are now seeing the fallout from that.” Raymond Samuels, managing director of Rubis Caribbean, confirmed
the same in a short note to Tribune Business on the sharp rise in gasoline prices, which have jumped to more than $6 in the space of two weeks. Mr Jones took the opportunity to remind the public that these oil price hikes are not something
SEE PAGE B4
Downtown car park solution on the cards By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A CAR park is being proposed for the Downtown area, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Aviation (MOTIA). Senator Randy Rolle, who is the MOTIA’s global relations consultant, revealed to Tribune Business that the ministry has proposals in their possession for a car park for Downtown Bay Street, which he expects Deputy
Prime Minister Chester Cooper to be able to speak more on in the near future. The need for a car park for the Downtown area is something some stakeholders of the area have been asking for for decades, but successive administrations have balked at the opportunity. However, with the pedestrianisation of portions of Bay Street imminent, finding a solution for parking seems to be the next logical step. In the interim, the MOTIA has engaged a firm
SEE PAGE B4
Commercial Rental OLDE TOWNE SANDYPORT $3,600 p/m incl CAM Reception | Conference Room | Office | Kitchen | Bathroom
helen@erabahamas.com | 242 376 4577 www.ERAbahamas.com
KYLE WILSON
OBIE FERGUSON
Inflation trend ‘positive’ as rate shows minimal change t 1PUFOUJBM GPS DPOTVNFS QSJDFT UP USFOE EPXOXBSE t 'VFM T JNQPSUBODF JO QSPEVDUJPO BOE USBOTQPSUBUJPO By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE trend for inflation has been hailed as “positive” by a campaigner for good governance. The Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June 2023 which determined the the monthly inflation rate, which represents the overall change in prices for 2023
SEE PAGE B5
HUBERT EDWARDS