The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE temporary lay-off of 152 Resorts World Bimini (RWB) employees will have a negative 'trickle down' impact on the island's economy, its Chamber of Commerce president says. Edward Reckley told Tribune Business: "There's normally a downturn at this time in Bimini. Bimini is the boating capital, and once the weather is bad there is nothing we can really do.

"It will definitely have an impact on businesses as far as all the stores and everything else. From a local perspective it certainly will have a trickle down effect."

Dion Foulkes, minister of labour, confirmed last week that 152 workers will be affected by the lay-offs, with 14 people to be made redundant. He added that 11 workers have voluntarily resigned at the resort. RWB had 600 workers pre-Hurricane Irma, and staffing levels are expected to return to 575 once staff have been re-engaged.

In a statement last week, RWB president, Missy Lawrence, pointed to a dramatic drop in tourism across the entire Caribbean due to a bad hurricane season as she confirmed the "anchor property" has started to "curtail staffing".

"While Resorts World Bimini is now open and operational, we are still in the process of recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Irma," Mrs Lawrence said in a statement. "Commercial airlift continues to only serve a small portion of our guests, and the current ferry service is limited during the winter months due to inclement weather. As a result, we have made the hard decision to curtail staffing until a time when increased resort visitation warrants a re-evaluation."