Government moves to rein in BPL overtime costs

The government is moving to tighten oversight of overtime payments at Bahamas Power and Light, as the utility’s annual overtime bill approaches $20 million.

The government says the level of overtime is “unsustainable and unacceptable” and places an unreasonable financial burden on BPL and, ultimately, the Bahamian people.

The issue has also drawn attention to the overtime earnings of Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson. Wilson earns an annual salary of $78,000 but received approximately $245,000 in overtime, bringing his total compensation to more than $300,000.

The government says the reform is not designed to deny workers legitimate overtime or compensation that has been properly approved. Instead, it says the aim is to ensure overtime is necessary, fairly allocated, properly authorised and fully documented.

The new overtime policy introduces a number of controls, including prior approval for planned overtime and at least two levels of authorisation for overtime submissions.

Emergency overtime will have to be supported by reports and other documentation, while employees will be required to accurately record their clock-in and clock-out times.

BPL will also conduct monthly reviews of overtime expenditure against approved budgets, with management reviews required when employees repeatedly reach overtime caps or receive payments above established thresholds.

The government says the policy will also address fatigue, with relief planning required after 12 consecutive hours of work, a maximum of 16 continuous working hours and mandatory rest before an employee returns to duty.

The measures are intended to improve financial management, strengthen workforce planning and ensure BPL’s resources are focused on providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity.

BPL says a review of its overtime practices identified unusual patterns and anomalies, but stresses that the review is not intended to target individual employees.

Managers and directors will now have specific responsibility for authorising, documenting, monitoring and reporting overtime within their respective areas.

The government says the existing system allowed overtime expenditure to grow to approximately $20 million annually, and that level of spending cannot continue.

The new policy is being presented as part of a broader effort to bring greater accountability and transparency to BPL’s operations while protecting the utility’s ability to respond to emergencies and maintain the power grid.