The Tribune

By CELESTE NIXON

Tribune Staff Reporter

cnixon@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING continued rumours of impending store closures, frustrated employees are calling on City Market owners to shed light on what has become a "nightmare".

With some 400 jobs possibly in jeopardy, City Market employees claim they are already owed three weeks back pay and their biggest worry is that the remaining four stores will close without them receiving proper compensation.

Describing the situation as a nightmare, an employee of 18 years who wanted to remain anonymous, said management and line staff have been left in the dark and just want to be told what is going on and when employees will receive what is due to them.

She said: "The last two years have been a nightmare, I have never seen anything like this before anywhere, we just want closure.

"It's just so disrespectful that we haven't been told anything, we can't even go to the bank and determine when our pay day is - with everything that is going on right now we just need some answers."

Reports of a possible closure circulated earlier this week following reports that Mark Finlayson, majority shareholder with 78 per cent of the shares in Trans-Island Traders, was negotiating with two separate international groups to purchase the majority stake in the struggling five-store chain.

According to the Bahamas Commercial Stores, Supermarkets and Warehouse Workers Union (BCSWWU), its executives have attempted to organise a joint meeting with Mr Finlayson and Labour Minister Dion Foulkes since Friday to discuss the fate of the cash-tight supermarket chain. So far, no meeting has been scheduled.

Some 200 employees of City Market filed a trade dispute at the Department of Labour on Monday, seeking to safeguard their compensation, pensions and other benefits.

As talk persists of the impending closure of City Market's stores, employees are worried they will be left without compensation, said BCSWWU administrator Rosalie McKenzie.

After 41 years working with City Market one employee said it is "terrible" the way employees have been "left in the dark" about the possible sale or closure.

He said: "No one has spoken with us, we keep on hearing sip-sip with nothing official from the office - it makes you feel terrible, just terrible!"