The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

QUALIFIED Bahamians have been shut out of senior hotel and restaurant management posts despite decades of industry experience, Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union president Darrin Woods said as he backed a government review of tourism-sector hiring practices.

Mr Woods said the union has long pushed for Bahamians to be appointed as directors and senior managers whenever qualified local candidates are available, arguing that they are too often denied the opportunity to prove themselves while foreign executives are placed in key positions.

His comments followed Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell’s disclosure last week that the government is reviewing employment practices in Grand Bahama and the wider tourism sector, particularly the appointment of foreign workers to management positions, as part of efforts to protect Bahamian jobs.

“As long as there is a Bahamian who is qualified for the position, we believe that Bahamians should fill in those roles, and we’ve always advocated for that, particularly when it comes to the hospitality industry, because who can train Bahamians on being hospitable? That’s something we’ve learned from an early age,” Mr Woods said.

He acknowledged that investors spending hundreds of millions of dollars on developments may want trusted executives overseeing their interests, but said Bahamians should be afforded the same chance to demonstrate their abilities.

“If I’m spending $400 million, $500 million, a billion dollars, I want someone in those key positions who’s going to be looking out for my interest,” he said. “But you don’t know that if they’re not given the opportunity, because we’ve had Bahamians excel to high levels in foreign countries.”

Mr Woods said the lack of senior opportunities at home also contributes to the country’s brain drain, with Bahamians studying and gaining qualifications abroad only to return to limited career prospects.

“If we could do it in someone else’s country, why can’t we do it in our own country?” he said. “Because we are at home, and this would help with the brain drain in our country. People going off to school, qualifying themselves, come back home, and there’s nothing for them to do.”

He also called for Bahamians promoted into senior management to receive compensation packages comparable to those offered to expatriate executives.

“They may not get the children’s school fee and all that, but they should get something in that vein,” Mr Woods said. “Whatever the package is, we’re not saying that you just give them the total package. But my Lord, they should get something out of the package.”

Mr Woods also questioned whether immigration understudy arrangements are creating genuine pathways for Bahamians to advance into senior roles.

Under the system, foreign employees granted work permits may be required to train Bahamians to eventually assume their positions. However, Mr Woods said Bahamian understudies are frequently passed over when vacancies arise.

“Once you have someone as an understudy, that person is supposed to move to the next level, but it doesn’t happen,” he said. “They will bring in someone else, so they will always only understudy. Even if you’re saying that our persons are not up to the level, when they get up to the level, when are they going to have the ability to show that they’re up to that level?”

Mr Woods said he previously raised the issue with Prime Minister Philip Davis and Mr Mitchell during discussions with government officials.

He welcomed the review but said its value would depend on whether it produces meaningful opportunities for Bahamians.

“We believe that in our country we should be able to serve at any level once we have qualified, dedicated and committed persons to do the work, and I believe we have those persons,” he said. “I believe it with all my heart.”