The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former hotel union presidential candidate has voiced concern that a new industrial agreement is being negotiated “in the dark” with members unaware of what is being done on their behalf.

Dave Beckford, who led Team Destiny in its unsuccessful 2013 election bid, told Tribune Business it was “not fair and right” that Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) members did not know the salary increases and benefits improvements being sought.

He explained that his concerns had been sparked after union president, Darren Woods, told this newspaper on July 23 that he had agreed with the resort industry’s bargaining agent, the Bahamas Hotel and Restaurant Employers Association, not to discuss the details or progress of the industrial agreement negotiations publicly.

This follows a rocky period in Bahamian hotel industry labour relations that saw the union burn the employers’ initial proposal with its members subsequently voting to strike, although no action has yet been taken.

The Employers Association responded by accusing the union of riling up its members to take a strike vote over “issues that simply do not exist”, pointing out that the industry had never sought the elimination of the 15 percent automatic gratuity as suggested by the BHCAWU.

The apparent “gag” on any public statements concerning the negotiations’ progress, or lack thereof, is likely designed to prevent a repeat of this situation and the possibility of any industrial action. But Mr Beckford, while accepting a bar on any public statements, said union members had a right to know what was being negotiated on their behalf.

Several other hotel union members spoken to by Tribune Business confirmed they knew nothing about the terms their representatives were seeking, and Mr Beckford said: “He [Mr Woods] still has the obligation to tell the members what’s in the union’s proposal.

“You don’t have to talk publicly, but the membership is supposed to know. I have no objection to not saying anything publicly, but the members want to know what you’re negotiating; what percentage increase in salary are you asking for and, if negotiations don’t go well, what the members will be striking for.

“He should inform the members what’s in the proposal and what he’s negotiating on their behalf,” Mr Beckford continued. “I’m very concerned in terms of how effective, how strong the union will be if it doesn’t tell members what it’s negotiating for in the proposal. It’s not fair and it’s not right that you’re negotiating on behalf of the workers and they don’t know what for.”

He argued that the union’s approach had broken with past practice, which was to first meet with its members to find out what they wanted before determining what was “in their best interests” when it came to salary and benefit increases.

Once this was worked out the union leadership would meet again with members to gain their approval before the opening offer was made to hotel employers and talks began.

“It’s negotiating in the dark as far as members are concerned,” Mr Beckford blasted of the current situation, “because they don’t know what the union is negotiating for. The workers should at least know what increase in salary they’re asking for, what new benefits they’re looking for.

“I hope the negotiations go well for all parties, especially for the workers and union, in terms of getting what they’re negotiating for. My only concern is knowing what’s in the proposal, what they are negotiating for.”