The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FOUR former employees of Western Bakery in Grand Bahama claim that they were treated with disrespect and “discarded like animals” by the new owner following the sale of the Freeport establishment a week ago.

The employees claimed that they were not given any formal notice by the current owners about the change in ownership, and the new owner allegedly told them that their years of service was of no concern to him.

Julie Basden, an 11-year employee supervisor and cashier, said she was very emotional last Friday when she reported to work at 6am only to be told that she was terminated.

“I came to work on Friday (March 24) at 6am and I was told by one of the managers that they are downsizing and to come back tomorrow at 6pm to pick up my money,” she said.

When Ms Basden asked the new owner if she was being terminated, she told The Tribune that he told her ‘yes she was being let go’.

Prior to the business being sold, the employees said they worked in a friendly environment, but it changed when the new owner took over a week ago.

“When he (the owner) came in it was like he was running a military … it was a stressful event coming to work for the past week. It is very emotional because we all had a lot of years in here, and … we feel that we were just discarded like animals, like we are not human beings,” she said.

The workers retained labour activist and consultant Lionel Morley as their spokesman, who disclosed that the bakery was sold to a former policeman.

Mr Morley claims that the owner’s actions were unprofessional and disrespectful. He said 14 people were employed at the establishment, some with more than 20 years of service.

“Four of them were terminated; they were there a long time and never got any warning slips and the former owners were very respectful to them and operated the business in compliance with industrial relations practices,” he said.

Mr Morley said that while an employer has the right to downsize, he cannot to hire someone else in that same position.

“When you downsize that position no longer exists, it has been made redundant. But there are new employees in there in the same position,” he claimed.

“Not because you own a business you have right to disrespect employees. These are tough times and they need their jobs,” he said.

Mr Morley claims that the workers were terminated without proper notice, with no money or severance pay.

“It is just a total disrespect and disregard for human worth and dignity,” he claimed. “I have tried to meet with (the owner) twice, but he does not want that.”

According to the workers, they heard rumours on March 17 about the bakery being sold, but the previous owner denied it.

“When we approached our current boss at the time, he denied it,” Ms Basden said. “And later at 2pm when I was getting off a man came in the bakery and told me that he was the new owner and that we needed to come to a meeting 4pm so he can let us know what is going on. I told him that our boss told us that if you come in here we are not to listen to you because the business was not being sold.”

Ms Basden did not attend the meeting on March 17, but when she went to work at 6am on March 20, the new owners were at the bakery.

“I was introduced to a lady, who was the wife of the new owner, who said that they were the new business owners now, and I said ‘okay, no problem,’ and I continued working,” she said.

During a meeting later that evening, Ms Basden said she asked the new owners why wasn’t there a final meeting with the previous owners and the employees to inform them about the change in ownership.

“I told the new owner that we are owed monies (for severance), and he said ‘that don’t have nothing to do with me, you all need to go deal with the old boss’,” she claimed. “He said they are working on the future and they are not worried about the past. I asked him what about the years we already invested in working here and he said ‘it is none of his business, and that as of today you all start fresh’.”

After leaving the meeting she decided to retain Mr Morley.

Baker Tarae Charles, who has been working at the bakery for 14 years, also claimed that the new owner was disrespectful to her and the other employees.

Mr Morley said he intends to file a dispute in court on behalf of the terminated workers.

“Initially they told them that they are downsizing and reorganising the business, and now they changed it to termination. Yes, the law gives an employer the right to terminate, downsise and reorganise, but it does not give employer the right to (disrespect) workers,” he said.