The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

Uncertainty deepened for Grand Lucayan Resort workers yesterday after employees were sent home from the government-owned property without pay as concerns also surfaced over access to National Insurance benefits.

The Tribune learned that employees were instructed to leave the resort because it remains without running water. Only security personnel are currently on site with fewer than 50 workers believed to remain employed. The Engineering Department was reportedly shut down last Friday.

The latest development adds to ongoing uncertainty for staff, who have faced repeated work disruptions since the government assumed control of the resort.

Workers who spoke with The Tribune under condition of anonymity expressed concern about whether the government’s financial support to the resort will continue beyond next month and whether employees will be paid going forward.

President of the Trade Union Congress, Obie Ferguson, confirmed that he had received reports that workers were sent home, but said he was still seeking clarity on the circumstances.

“I’ve gotten some feedback on that and I’m making my inquiries now as to why that occurred,” Mr Ferguson said. “I’m trying to find out what actually happened.”

Asked whether the issue was linked to the absence of water at the resort, Mr Ferguson said he had also heard that explanation but had not yet confirmed it with management.

“I was also told that, and I’m trying to reach the management of the resort to find out whether that is the correct position,” he said.

He said while some workers contacted him to say they were told to go home, this did not align with his understanding of the arrangement with the resort.

“I have not been properly instructed on why they would have been sent home,” he said. “If there’s no job there, some arrangement has to be made — but sending workers home without pay is another issue.”

Some workers have also claimed that when attempting to access National Insurance benefits, they were told that contributions had not been paid since June of last year. Mr Ferguson said he was unaware of that issue and could not comment.

“That is news to me,” he said.

Last year May, the government signed an agreement to sell the Grand Lucayan Resort and the adjacent Reef Golf Course to US-based developer Concord Wilshire Capital for a reported $120m. The deal includes plans for an $827m redevelopment of the 56-acre beachfront property into a mixed-use resort and cruise destination.

However, the transition has been slow, and during the Christmas period last year many Grand Lucayan employees were sent home and went weeks without pay as salary payments were repeatedly delayed amid the handover process. Workers relied in part on a government bonus to cover earnings during that period.