By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
THOUSANDS of hotel workers were yesterday put on work-to-rule as the Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union declared an “all-out war” with all properties represented by the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association due to a recent decision by the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort.
BHCAWU General Secretary Darren Woods said the union issued an “amber alert” to all members after Baha Mar and the management at its Meliá hotel announced that it would stop collecting union dues as of August 31 and reportedly blocked union executives from accessing the resort.
Labour Minister Shane Gibson yesterday called for the resort to immediately reverse the decision so as not to create an environment of industrial unrest with a negative impact on the economy.
Mr Gibson also warned Baha Mar and the management of Melia to cooperate with its bargaining agent BHCAWU in accordance with the law or face punitive measures.
According to Mr Woods, hotels placed on amber alert yesterday to include: the Lyford Cay Club, British Colonial Hilton, Atlantis, One&Only Ocean Club and the Towne Hotel.
Mr Woods pointed out that Baha Mar’s Senior Vice President Robert Sands was also president of the BHEA, and as a result, immediate action was taken to ensure that the move did not set a precedent for its associated properties to follow.
Mr Woods accused Baha Mar and Meliá’s management of “union busting,” and said the violation of its contractual obligation to collect union fees was the latest blunder in a longstanding plot to rid itself of the union.
“We will do whatever is necessary to protect the rights of Bahamians in the country. This is an all out war,” Mr Woods said.
He added: “This is a serious matter, the Bahamas Constitution gives right of association unless our certificate has been revoked by the minister.”
“For months, even in the past year, (officials at Meliá) have always indicated that they’re not readily available to assist the union. They said they have no obligation to meet with the union.
“They had security officials escort union off the property last week,” he added, “so we wrote to the minister requesting intervention.”
The Melia hotel advised staff last week that it would withdraw the use of its administrative facilities for the deduction and payment of union dues as of August 31.
The letter sent on Friday explained that the decision was made with regard to a recent Supreme Court ruling into the dispute between the resort and the BHCAWU over gratuities.
Supreme Court Justice Roy Jones previously ruled that the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort was not obligated to pay staff a 15 per cent gratuity for serving all-inclusive guests.
The ruling on July 16 also indicated that although the union had entered into a new collective bargaining agreement with the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association (BHEA) in 2003, that agreement was never registered under Section 49 of the Industrial Relations Act, meaning it was deemed to be ineffective in law.
The memo read: “Melia will no longer act in accordance with voluntary check off forms signed by employees for the purpose of having dues deducted from their wages and delivered to the union. (After August 31) no deduction of dues will be made from any employee’s wages and employees will be personally responsible for ensuring that their dues are paid to the union as per the requirements of their membership in the union.”
However, Mr Woods explained that the collection of union fees was entirely separate from the court matter, adding that the 2003 agreement had the same terms of the previous agreement and as such could not be used to justify the decision to cease collection.
He explained that this latest move by the resort was unsurprising given their continued refusal to acknowledge labour laws in the country.
Mr Woods said he supported recent comments made by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell, who suggested that Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian be asked “to consider making the appropriate steps to live elsewhere” if he could not conform with the expected conduct of “economic guests”.
“They are in our country as guests,” Mr Woods said, “if they can’t follow the law then they need to leave, for these people to be speaking out against the government in the way they are doing.”
He added: “If you allow your children to get away with something, they will continue until you stop them. If you remember when this company (Melia) first came in here, they terminated all Bahamian managers. This union protested it and we were told that we are not the bargaining agent. We said despite that we are fighting for the rights of Bahamians. They replaced them (the managers) with all foreign workers.”
The union has also called on the assistance of its umbrella union, the National Trade Congress Union of the Bahamas, and unions representing utility workers at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, BTC, and Water and Sewerage.
At a press conference yesterday, Mr Woods also expressed concern over actions taken at the Pink Sands Hotel in Dunmore Town, Eleuthera.
The Eleuthera resort issued a letter to staff last month notifying them that they would have to reapply for employment when the hotel reopens from its annual closing period, he said.
Mr Woods explained that not only was the resort closing earlier than usual on August 14, the mandate for employees to reapply violated the union’s bargaining agreement.
He also pointed out that while employees were made to reapply, the resort’s general manager would stay on in the position.
Comments
DreamerX 8 years, 8 months ago
This union defiles the history of unions. Calling a step of not bearing the cost or time associated with the union demanded fees from it's own members an "all out war"?
These fat men know nothing of war or hardship. This union should be ashamed of it's leaderships acts of entitlement and greed.
And to point fingers in the current Baha Mar issues is childish. The judge spoke and ruled, keep your battles in the court. Only care to speak of laws when they benefit you.
newcitizen 8 years, 8 months ago
The reason the union sees this as an all out war is that they are going to have a pretty hard time collecting their dues if they aren't deducted off their payroll and without that the union is sunk. I'm sure there are enough employees who would just rather keep their fees and be done with this union as they don't seem to have done a lot of good lately, losing just about every battle they start.
arussell 8 years, 8 months ago
This is nasty and its going to get worst
newcitizen 8 years, 8 months ago
“They are in our country as guests,” Mr Woods said, “if they can’t follow the law then they need to leave, for these people to be speaking out against the government in the way they are doing.”
Firstly, if you take their money, they are no longer just a guest. They've paid to play. And are we really going to start censoring what people say about the government? This is not a dictatorship! People should not fear the government, the government should fear the people.
banker 8 years, 8 months ago
The end times are nigh. Be prepared to eat coconut and pigeons, if you can find them.
themessenger 8 years, 8 months ago
A classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Woods wants every hotel property to walk out because he and his organization can't collect or administer their own dues??? Add insult to injury his misguided sheeple are flocking to follow this shining example of greedy-ship and arrogance. Not one moment spent in contemplating the impact stupidities of this sort have on the industry and their own job security.When the shit hits the fan, which it will, the only people with raincoats or umbrellas will be Woods and company, while the rank and file will be neck deep. Some more words of caution for you Mr. Woods, when you star throwing shit, inevitably some of it sticks to you.
TalRussell 8 years, 8 months ago
Comrades I have a serious question requiring a knowledgeable person to answer.
Presuming among Baha Mar's 2000 plus workers the public treasury began paying weekly, there would be those workers who financed cars and took out loans who agreed to automatic payroll deductions be made by the employer for the sole benefit their creditors/lenders - is the government now deducting and passing on these loan payment deductions?
asiseeit 8 years, 8 months ago
Why anyone would pay a union $10 a week of their hard earned money is beyond me, especially Bahamian unions with their donkey dumb leaders. What a waste of hard earned money.
newcitizen 8 years, 8 months ago
Especially a union who didn't even manage to negotiate a new collective agreement. The union didn't register their 2003 agreement (yes 12 years ago) therefore making it void. Unions are suppose to work for their members. I'm not sure what this one even does.
BahamaPundit 8 years, 8 months ago
I'm beginning to think foreign companies will start to pull out of the Bahamas, as not worth the trouble. The PLP has broken just about every rule of diplomacy possible. From the vantage of a casual observer, it is clear the Bahamas has lost its edge as a top tourist destination. This is why foreigners no longer will put up with the "fresh talk" from our politicians. The Bahamas is now known as a crime infested, over priced tourist trap where there's absolutely nothing to do after 8 PM. Want to get your moral authority back Bahamas? Stop crime completely, lower prices radically and give these bored tourists something to do other than build sandcastles.
ObserverOfChaos 8 years, 8 months ago
Unions, another word for "let me line my own pockets with the dues of members and add not value"....unions are outdated and hindrance to this nation moving forward in their labor practices....good riddance....the mindset that Bahamas is the "only place to come" is absurd and stupid....tourist have choices now without having to deal with absurd high prices and crappy service.....wake up people.....or dye an slow death
TheMadHatter 8 years, 8 months ago
If these employees are upset with Melia, why don't they just apply for a job at BahaMar ?
Are there any other hotels open and functioning in the Bahamas that we can close down? Why not close them all?
I mean if ya gonna be stupid - be stupid all the way. Why not send the police to round-up all of the white foreign hotel managers and owners and put 'em on a plane tomorrow morning? Hey don't stop at hotels - shut down all white owned businesses foreign and Bahamian. Yeah - that's a genius idea.
Close down the airports too. That will ensure that we don't even have to deal with tourists. Kick 'em all out - LOL.
Can we get any stupider?
TheMadHatter
ourmaninnassau 8 years, 8 months ago
I just heard the funniest thing. Met a tourist at Starbucks on Cable Beach, asked him what he thought about the work to rule at the resort. His Reply, It won't make any difference to the service level, for the last week we have been made to feel the staff are doing us a favor. OurmaninNassau
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
Meanwhile, the sip sip is that a Carnival Cruise Lines Rep is paying courtesy calls on Bay Street Shops to advise that come 2017 there will be a lot fewer ships calling at Nassau or anywhere in the Bahamas. So, no stopovers, no cruisers, no fly fishermen, no wealthy winter residents, no FDI's, Christie and his band of arse-holes, in less than one year have dealt a death blow to our once successful little country.
Bonefishpete 6 years, 2 months ago
Close the hotels and kick the foreigners out, that will teach them. Might as well kick the tourist out too. Problem solved.
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