Union President Calls BPL Salary Leak a “Distraction”

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – A leak of internal payroll records from Bahamas Power and Light, showing three workers collected more than 600 thousand dollars in overtime in just one year, is now sparking a fierce response from the union.

Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson is calling the disclosure a distraction, saying the focus should instead be on the power outages that have plagued customers this summer.

More than 600 thousand dollars in overtime, paid to just three BPL employees in one year.

Those figures are now raising questions about overtime at the power company, but union president Kyle Wilson says the bigger question is why that information is coming out now.

Kyle Wilson – President, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union

“A grandiose time to create what I believe to be a distraction from what the Bahamian people are suffering over the summer period from the unstoppable blackouts, the rolling blackouts.”

That’s Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson, responding to a report by The Tribune newspaper revealing some eye-popping overtime figures at Bahamas Power and Light.

The newspaper reports internal BPL records show three employees in the Fuel and Performance Department collected a combined 601 thousand 295 dollars in overtime between May 2025 and April of this year.

Two of those workers alone accounted for more than 483 thousand dollars, with individual overtime payments in some months topping 20 thousand dollars.

The findings have reportedly prompted BPL’s board to move to tighten its approach to overtime.

But Wilson says the focus on workers’ pay is misplaced.

Kyle Wilson – President, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union

“They are giving over eight million dollars of the taxpayers’ money per month to BPL and to BGC, Bahamas Grid Company, who’s responsible. And so to distract away from that, they wanna try to put it in a direction to, I guess, make the Bahamians forget what they’re suffering.”

The Tribune also reports one employee was recorded as working 90 hours over four consecutive days during the week of Christmas.

Wilson argues the large overtime bills have to be viewed against the backdrop of repeated outages, saying when the power goes off, BPL employees are the ones called in to help get it back on.

He is also claiming his workers work outside their normal job descriptions to assist BGC.

Kyle Wilson – President, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union

“The union has encouraged the members to assist because of their expertise. You see, they promised to bring in these people with this magic wand, and when they wave it, the energy sector is fixed. That did not happen.”

Wilson is also questioning how confidential employee payroll information made its way outside the company.

He’s calling for an investigation into the leak, arguing BPL has a responsibility to protect sensitive employee information.

Kyle Wilson – President, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union

“It’s unacceptable. You’re putting people’s families and lives at danger.”