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Dear Editor,
When I proposed hotline work years ago, suffering in the snow in Idaho at Northwest Lineman College on a pole-mounted fiberglass platform, I trained the hard way just to benefit my country, as I had done in other utility companies when I lived and worked abroad.
I was fought tooth and nail by the immediate superiors of the T&D Department, and the electricity manager—who never ventured near electricity to do anything but plug in a drop cord—did nothing to alleviate the victimization I suffered.

In other countries, supervisors would even visit the homes of linemen to comfort families, assuring them that they would do their best to see their loved ones return safely.
The late Chairman Clarvis Joseph saw the future benefits of performing live-line work. When I approached management for leave, prepared to spend thousands of U.S. dollars from my own pocket for the course, he intervened and said APUA would pay for it.
He also said that upon my return from Northwest Lineman College, he would arrange for a presentation on ABS TV. Another lineman was sent with me to solidify the benefits to APUA.
Yet Antigua and Barbuda never realized such benefits from APUA’s investment. Instead, I was constantly attacked, dragged into disciplinary meetings, and eventually lost focus—resulting in an electrical accident.
Thankfully, due to my training while working at the BVI Electricity Corporation, I was able to impart safety knowledge to the men I trained, reminding them that nylon rope could be thrown over high-voltage lines without danger of shock.
As my foreman in the BVI always said: “Keep your rope so we can pull you away from the line in case of an accident.” In those countries, the neutral line is at the top and the live phases below, so slipping while climbing could be fatal.
I retired early out of fear for my safety, given the acrimonious relationship within the T&D Department, where favoritism and entitlement cliques continue to this day.
Promotions are often based on favoritism rather than merit.
I had pushed for standards in APUA, introducing staking sheet data and efficiencies that intimidated my supervisors. Returning from the Virgin Islands, I trained men to climb with pole spikes, which improved efficiency at APUA.
I removed the ladders from trucks after Hurricane Luis and outperformed the Jamaican CARILEC crew.
The then electricity manager—an African gentleman—was petitioned by the Jamaicans themselves to promote me before they returned home, but the promotion never materialized.
I left APUA as one of the most qualified in my field, eager to pass on my skills and knowledge for the benefit of the country. Yet the present electricity manager continues to retard APUA’s progress.
Under Mr. George Piggott and Malcolm Edwards, some of the best engineers APUA ever saw, knowledge was imparted that produced outstanding technicians.
That inspiration fueled me during my work at APUA in the 1980s, before I resigned and went to the Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos to expand my training in hotline work.
Upon my return, I was victimized by immediate supervisors, while the current electricity manager did nothing to assist. To him, it was natural attrition, a way to place his preferred people in positions.
But the advancement APUA should have achieved is far behind, costing customers dearly. We saw this in the decline of APUA’s power station under his management.
Several methods of construction I introduced—saving money by reducing hardware and man-hours—remain unacknowledged, their origins erased.
These were innovations from a lineman, not an engineer, yet they have become standard practice.
I hope my words offer some solace to any lineman or worker at APUA who feels victimized. I will smile the day APUA finally initiates live-line work, where no power has to be shut off, the water supply is uninterrupted, and customers are better served.
My training has been wasted in Antigua. If I were to return to the Virgin Islands, where my name is respected, I could again contribute meaningfully. Recently, APUA sent a team to a CARILEC tournament, and the BVI Electricity Corporation praised my contributions during my time there.
Even in the Bahamas, I was trusted to work as part of a live-line team on 13,800 volts in the absence of the site foreman.
I do not romanticize, but I love my work as a lineman. I could walk into APUA tomorrow, pick up where I left off, and take the utility to the next level, with customers seeing the difference in improved service.
Hazel Roberts
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Apua is the worse public utilities company in the world , not even in third world country as Africa , where people can’t afford to go school, you can see unprofessional workers like in Antigua …
Piggott you said is a good engineer , I’m sorry is not even a nail of a regular engineer… this is Antigua
The Clique system still exist, the promotions are based on favouritism. I’ve seen people with very little knowledge of the job bypass me. They get promotion after promotion, increment and even honorarium. The former GM and his cohorts promoted their Blu Cru before his contact was terminated. Minister after Minister come and go yet no one is looking into this. They Victimize in so many forms. This needs a book or movie to highlight how we suffer at the hands of the modern blk slave masters .
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