The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BISHOP Walter Hanchell yesterday slammed Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort for recently making more than 600 employees redundant, accusing the resort of committing a “gross injustice” by using the workers as “pawns” in its feud with the Bahamas Hotel Maintenance and Allied Workers Union.

Bishop Hanchell, chairman of the group Citizens for Justice (CFJ), in a statement said the group is “vehemently opposed” to what he called a “despicable plot” against the BMAWU in “sending 600 workers home claiming redundancy.” Bishop Hanchell also criticised Sandals’ subsequent job fair to refill those positions, calling it an “unscrupulous” plot by the resort “to rid themselves of union leaders and members.”

Bishop Hanchell demanded that all 600 terminated workers be “rehired immediately” by the resort’s owner, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, charging that the workers “lost their jobs unfairly” and something like that “should never again happen in the Bahamas.” He also said the group supports Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Obie Ferguson “in their battle to have every worker reinstated” and said it will do “everything in our power to ensure that this is achieved shortly.”

Bishop Hanchell also said CFJ is “extremely disappointed” in how the Christie administration has handled the matter, charging that both Labour Minister Shane Gibson and Director of Labour Robert Farquharson “dropped the ball” while “thousands of Bahamians have been affected by their inaction and failure to resolve this dispute.” Bishop Hanchell said rather than “making excuses,” both men should have “caused Sandals executives to meet with the union leaders in resolving all outstanding issues concerning the workers.”

On August 15, Sandals announced its decision to make 600 plus employees at the resort redundant in order to carry out necessary repairs to the resort, which are being “fast-tracked” at an estimated cost of $4m.

Many of the workers subsequently said they were caught off guard by the news, with scores of them showing up to work in uniform only to be told they no longer had jobs.

Yesterday, however, Bishop Hanchell said “renovating a hotel is not a valid reason to dismiss employees and make their jobs redundant.”

“This appears to be a despicable plot against the union representing workers at the resort and is not sitting well with the Bahamian people,” Bishop Hanchell said. “Workers are being used as pawns in the long feud between Sandals Royal Bahamian and the (BMAWU).”

Bishop Hanchell also criticised the government for its handling of the matter, charging that it should have taken action to ensure that the feud between Sandals and the BMAWU was resolved and that the workers would retain their jobs.

“The minister of labour and the director of labour have both dropped the ball while thousands of Bahamians have been affected by their inaction and failure to resolve this dispute,” he said. “Rather than making excuses, they should have caused Sandals executives to meet with the union leaders in resolving all outstanding issues concerning the workers.”

He added: “We are calling on every Bahamian to take a stand against this gross injustice on Sandals workers and demand that these workers be rehired forthwith. Every union, every organisation and every citizen should unite in an effort to let Sandals know that they have gone too far. We must end this oppression of Bahamians now.”

Last week, Mr Gibson said the government has been advised that the resort will be closed for eight weeks as it carries out renovations because hotel officials said the work could not be done in the presence of guests. The same was echoed by Sandals Construction Manager James Wilson on Monday, who said the construction work will be so disruptive that guests could not be expected to remain in the vicinity while repairs take place.

However, despite maintaining that his ministry was given very little notice by Sandals of its decision to terminate the 600 plus employees, Mr Gibson has said he believes Sandals’ actions were an attack on the BMAWU, which has fought for years to be recognised as the bargaining agent for Sandals employees.