By KRYSTEL ROLLE, NG Staff Reporter, krystel@nasguard.com

More than 600 Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) employees — including about 200 managers — walked off the job yesterday, severely crippling operations at BTC locations across New Providence as unionized employees began day one of what is expected to be a week of protests.

BTC executives were forced to close all of their offices on the island shortly after 10 a.m. due to the industrial unrest. Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Robert Farquharson promised that "BTC operations will be shut down until further notice."

Yesterday, union members made sure they caught the government's attention, causing traffic to come to a virtual standstill for about 30 minutes on one of the island's busiest thoroughfares.

Workers parked marked BTC vans and trucks across Parliament and Rawson squares on Bay Street, blocking traffic during the busy midday hour.

It got so bad that police had to be called to the scene. But even when the responding officers threatened to call in tow trucks to move the vehicles, employees refused to budge.

Farquharson told union members to block off every entrance to Bay Street so that the wreckers could not reach them. Traffic was backed up for about a mile, and police officers were forced to divert traffic.

Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest attempted to intervene, however, when he asked Farquharson what was going on, the union president replied that their vehicles were experiencing "mechanical failures" and could not be moved.

The motorcade, which included about 100 BTC vehicles, then moved toward Paradise Island blocking the entrance to the bridge for several minutes before moving on. Employees also parked a truck across Farrington Road, right outside of the BCPOU Hall. Traffic in that area came to a standstill for about five minutes, sparking a verbal altercation between police officers and Farquharson.

The union president was escorted by police back to the headquarters around 1 p.m. yesterday in a bid to put an end to the demonstration, but Farquharson appeared unfazed.

Addressing hundreds of union members gathered at the hall, he said, "Anytime we want to shut them down, we will shut them down."

The union president warned that if the government does not address their concerns by the end of the week, the union would continue to demonstrate.

"This is stage one," Farquharson said. "We expect to turn the heat up on the government. This is going to be an indefinite and sustained course of action."

Yesterday's industrial action was sparked by the government's continued refusal to include union representatives on the privatization committee, Farquharson indicated. The union also wants the government to complete a new industrial agreement for workers.

The union president said the BCPOU had been trying to get the government's attention for months, but to no avail.

"There is a multiplicity of issues that we were trying to get resolved for months and months. We have not had resolution on them," Farquharson said. "We have had enough. We have talked enough. We have written enough. We wrote several letters to the prime minister; they are refusing to meet with us to discuss these issues. Someone has to listen."

When asked if the government had received the message the union was trying to send, Minister Turnquest said he was unsure what the message was.

Meantime, some taxi drivers and tourists seemed outraged at the action that the union was taking as it was holding them up.

Turnquest, who was aware of the problem the demonstration was causing, said police officers "were going to take whatever action to prevent this type of stoppage."

Farquharson told union members to expect "anything to happen" today.

Although they are expected to report to work, he said no work will be done.

"We want everyone to be ready. Be casual tomorrow. We are relaxing tomorrow. We're sending a message," Farquharson said.

Claude Hanna, president of the Bahamas Communications and Public Manager's Union, was in agreement.

"If any manager asks you to do anything, tell them Claude said 'not today'," Hanna said.

Meantime, Farquharson insisted that the union should be included in ongoing privatization talks as the process involves the future of the more than 1,200 men and women who work for BTC.

"For the past several years," he said, "BTC has made nearly $200 million in net profit, which the government has used in many different ways.

"It is unfair for them to come to us now and give us peanuts when it comes to BTC. We want KPMG (the consultant group hired by the government to help with the privatization process) to know that they will get no cooperation from the BCPMU and the BCPOU as far as information as we move close to privatization. We have already instructed our members not to provide them with any information. They are not welcome in BTC until and unless we have representatives at all levels of discussion."

Farquharson said the National Congress of Trade Unions, which has about 45,000 members, has pledged its support.

"We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that we are heard," Farquharson vowed. "Who knows, we may have some mechanical difficulties (with our vehicles) somewhere else (on Tuesday)."