Deal in sight

BICO mobile salesmen hopeful of truce with ice cream company By Emmanuel Joseph BICO’s mobile salespersons are anticipating a settlement in their dispute with the ice cream company over an increase in fees for electricity usage. Since early April, the estimated 30 independent contractors have been protesting the “unaffordable” hike in plug-in electricity charges for their vans which have freezers to store the ice cream. On Tuesday evening, spokesman for the group, David McClean told Barbados TODAY he was optimistic there would be a favourable outcome – specifically on the energy charge issue – when he and his delegation meet with management on Wednesday. “I think they have a proposal they want to put to us. I am hoping for a settlement soon…. Coming out of this meeting, I believe that something is going to happen that we might not need to have another one. We might want to discuss other things but certainly not this energy aspect,” he said. The contractors had been demanding a review of the new charges imposed by BICO while questioning how management had arrived at the rates charged for the electricity used by the vans. They had also objected to the company contracting TMR Sales and Service to assess the rates, contending that the Barbados Light and Power Company should be undertaking that task as the only entity authorised to sell electricity in the country. McClean told Barbados TODAY that the contractors had proven the rates charged did not reflect their electricity usage. “We have gotten one meter…. We tested three different vehicles and we got three different readings. So, it just dispels the myth that what [BICO executive chairman Edwin] Thirlwell wanted us to pay, none of the vans could ever reach that amount,…not for the energy and kilowatts they were charging,” he said. “Since we dispelled that myth now, we just got to come to some sort of conclusion, something that would be more fair to everybody to pay until we get all the meters installed on the vehicles.” Meanwhile, the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is looking into whether it has jurisdiction to address the complaints submitted by the BICO mobile salespersons against the company. Chief Executive Officer of the FTC Dr Marsha Atherley-Ikechi told Barbados TODAY on Tuesday that the independent contractors had requested the intervention of the utility regulator to settle issues related to their contracts and the sale of electricity. “They want us to be able to settle the matter. They have some concerns about the contract, particularly in terms of some of the conditions of the contract. I am not sure it is something we have jurisdiction over but it is something I asked my legal team to look into,” she said. “There is also a question in relation to the sale of electricity. That certainly is something that we would want to look into because, based on my understanding, only Light and Power is allowed to sell electricity in Barbados. There is legislation. We had a preliminary meeting [Tuesday] morning to look at the issues. So we just have to do a deeper dive just to be fully assured that we can or cannot do it.” The CEO acknowledged, however, that this is not the first time the contractors have approached the FTC to address concerns about their contracts. “Every couple of years when the contracts come up for renewal, they have in the past come to the commission. It does not appear as though we were able to help them in any major way previously. The legislation hasn’t changed…. I would just wait to see what the legal team comes up with,” she explained. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb]]>