Is Perriott’s resignation a result of Telemedia Union Busting?

Paul Perriott

Paul says that his relations with B.T.L. went downhill following the meeting he attended with the former Telemedia management.

Isani Cayetano

“As president of B.C.W.U. you were of the impression that government was in an ideal situation where it could facilitate the process of Telemedia employees owning shares in the company through Sunshine Holdings.  What went wrong between B.C.W.U. and the government supported management that has led to a rift in terms of the ownership of shares in B.T.L.?”

Senator Paul Perriott

“Well definitely Isani, I believe that the government was in a proper position because some of the key people that were with us when we were championing the cause of shares Mr. Nestor Vasquez [and] even the Prime Minister Dean Barrow were with us for shares during the ‘05 uprisings and they know the value that we as employees held with gaining some minimal percentage of control, well not really control but ownership in the company that we worked for.  What has happened now is [that] the issue came up between this Dean Boyce and the Sunshine shares that clouded the whole matter and the government has now taken the stance, well I call it the government because I believe the board is controlled by the government, has taken the stance that they will not honor the twenty-three percent shares.  We had grave issues with that as members of the B.C.W.U. because we said that they were a part of this negotiating team with us.  They know why we want the shares, why is it that they cannot pass over that control?  And I believe there were some ties to if that had occurred then the whole issue of the whole case that they were trying to bring, that the Ashcroft group was trying to bring against the government for the takeover of the shares.  The whole case would have fallen down if they would have been passed over to us as employees.”

After leaving Channel Five, Perriott headed over to Telemedia headquarters on St. Thomas Street. The workday had finished and outside the compound he was the center of an impromptu gathering with approximately thirty former co-workers.