By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
RIU Palace workers have filed a trade dispute after the 30 demonstrators who protested working conditions were fired by the Paradise Island resort.
Labour Minister Shane Gibson yesterday confirmed that a reconciliation meeting was scheduled for today with legal counsel of the terminated employees at the Department of Labour.
However, Mr Gibson said the hotel has the final say over whether or not the employees would be reinstated.
“We’ve been getting a lot of complaints from employees of Riu, over the past maybe year or so,” Mr Gibson said. “From the time I became minister, we’ve been receiving complaints and it’s unfortunate that workers would withdraw their labour without going through the proper channel. My understanding is it reached a boiling point and hopefully management can sit down with the workers and try to resolve all those issues.”
On Monday, employees stood outside the Riu Palace with signs protesting management’s failure to address staff’s concerns, and the termination “without cause” of three employees last week.
The protest was said to have been sparked out of concern for the previously terminated employees. It is understood that today’s meeting will review the termination of two of those employees.
Yesterday, RIU management held a meeting with legal counsel and union chiefs to notify the body that all employees who participated in the protest on Monday would be terminated for gross misconduct under section 31 of the Employment Act.
Although hotel employees are not unionized, representatives from the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union and the Bahamas Maintenance and Allied Workers Union were present at the meeting.
Glendon Rolle, attorney for the 12 terminated maids, said workers, who also include 18 Food and Beverage workers, were shocked by the hotel’s decision.
“[Management] called us to have the meeting and then refused to answer any questions,” Mr Rolle said. “When we asked what is gross misconduct they refused to respond. They just presented us with the list of thirty employees who they will terminate. Eighteen of those workers were not on duty, they were off that day, when they participated in the demonstration. Some of them were on their lunch break and were barred from re-entering the floor. They were not allowed back to work.”
“[Workers] are very upset, shocked, and these are persons with families and small children,” Mr Rolle said. “They did nothing wrong, they still stand on the premise that they did nothing wrong.”
According to Mr Rolle, the maid staff protested against victimization, environmental health concerns, improper disciplinary procedures, and unfair distribution of workload.
The hotel has not yet released an official statement on the matter. They have decided not to comment at this time.
Comments
PKMShack 10 years, 11 months ago
Hopefully the people they where trying to defend will help pay their bills. Be accountable for your own actions. Giant vs The little guy.....the giant wins. Take note folks, that was not the goverment they where playing with.....Like we Bahamains say,,, You think this a Game. They are know being accountable for their own actions.
john33xyz 10 years, 11 months ago
"and these are persons with families and small children." LOL. Is that supposed to be something special???????????? We have persons with small children in this country who haven't graduated (or got leaving certificates) from High School yet.
There are tons of people out of work who could say the same thing.
Why don't they just leave the RIU and go to one of the HUNDREDS of other companies out there that have LONG LISTS of vacancies just dying to hire someone to work for them ???? LOL.
There are NO JOBS people. Wake up. Tell your kids to stop having babies when they're 15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25 years old because there will also be no jobs 18 years from now when those kids are ready to work.
Fewer jobs???? Let's make more people then. That is the general Bahamian attitude.
The way we are headed, Great Britain will have to send a warship here in a few years with troops to setup soup lines - and everyone will stand in line each morning to get their ladle of warm soup - and be grateful for it.
Finally, just in case someone read this comment and mistakenly believed that at the beginning of paragraph 4 I said there are lots of jobs - let me repeat - There are NO JOBS!!
SeaandSun123 10 years, 11 months ago
The best response I have read. Living in a fool's paradise thinking that someone is busting down the door waiting to hire them. THERE ARE NO JOBS... If you have one... HOLD ON TO IT...
Ironvelvet 10 years, 11 months ago
These people must be related to the protesters at BEC. There are proper channels to protest/air your grievance. All this marching on parliament lately has people ready to march with the slightest disagreement. Private sector doesn't have time for that and in this recession with a high unemployment rate it would be easy for them to find more "agreeable" people to work for them.
I feel for them, but we have to use our heads people.
PKMShack 10 years, 11 months ago
The thing is,,,,we are loyal to our Government,,,,and government employees do any thing and keep their jobs,,,,,RIU and private companys want loyal employees or you will be fired,,,,,They rose up and they paid the price....Next time they will use their heads and not follow the leader.....
B_I_D___ 10 years, 11 months ago
One thing about becoming a union or government employee. Where an employer may be flexible with you as non-union and may try to work with you, the unions are such a thorn in the sides of employers that if you step out of line by what you are obligated to do as an employee, if you behave in a manner that is not allowed in your union contract, if you protest without following the proper grievance protocols in that union contract...that's it, sorry, your gone, don't let the door hit you on the a** on the way out. Be careful what you wish for, unions are a double edged sword. You join a union, you better play by the rules in your contract.
vinceP 10 years, 11 months ago
just attempting to read the responses so far disgust me. This is one of the reasons this country is not progressing, and certainly why "Big business" walk all over Bahamians in this country. Clearly not all protest are warranted, but come on people, why do we have to be in a particular situation ourselves in order to understand, or appreciate what other people are going through? I applaud the bravery of these people! For too long have we allowed foreigners in particular, to treat us as second class. The minister himself said that they have received numerous complaints, and it seems to me that his ministry just could not be bothered in assisting those people. Its situation just like this which lead people to taking more progressive measures like the people of Haiti and Jamaica, because they are made to feel like their Government's simply don't care. Wake up people! They love the division that's in this country. Here it is, you people are speaking out against your own people, not giving one thought or empathizing with what these people are going through. I'm sorry, but most Bahamians are jack assess and the foreigners in particular know it.
B_I_D___ 10 years, 11 months ago
@ VinceP...my problem is this...you are not a simple employee waging a battle against an unruly employer. I'm not defending RIU outright here, I am sure they have their fair share of downfalls, certainly sounds that way if there are numerous complaints, but the fact is you joined a union, you effectively relinquish your rights to defend yourself and have to follow the proper channels within the union to get satisfaction. Step out of those boundaries and you open up that pathway to summary dismissal. People are SOOO happy to join the union, then still carry on like a bunch of spoiled brats, and instead of dealing with it properly through the union they start jumping up and down and making noise. If your union is not representing you properly or giving YOU satisfaction over grievances you have, it is the UNIONS fault, not the employers. The union should round up the members, come to a collective decision and formulate a strike movement as laid out in the union agreements. In my humble opinion, if I was RIU, I would have fired them as well...and well within my right legally to do so.
vinceP 10 years, 11 months ago
@ B_I_D_
Unless something has changed since this story came out, according to news reports, the employees of the RIU are not yet unionized, and trust me, i know first hand how some companies do all within their powers,and reach of their money to block their employees from becoming unionized. "Who feels it, knows it". Our own Bahamian people are constantly selling us out for the mighty dollar. "I am my brother's keeper". I truly empathize with these people, and anyone who's being oppressed in OUR COUNTRY!
B_I_D___ 10 years, 11 months ago
@ VinceP...I will be 100% truthful with you (as I always try to be in my postings), I 'ASSUMED' that being a hotel it was a given that they were unionized. I did not actually pick up on the fact they are non-union if that is true. Now, IF they are non-union, then that is a TOTALLY different ballgame and the RIU is on shakey ground. In this case it IS a simple employee trying to fight against unjust employment and yes, they should be heard.
'Yesterday, RIU management held a meeting with legal counsel and union chiefs to notify the body that all employees who participated in the protest on Monday would be terminated for gross misconduct under section 31 of the Employment Act.
Although hotel employees are not unionized, representatives from the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union and the Bahamas Maintenance and Allied Workers Union were present at the meeting.'
I can honestly say...again...I read...saw...and obviously skimmed over the portion of not unionized...what did jump out was the talks with the BHCAWU and BMAWU, hence my union spin above.
Correction noted.
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