The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Minister of Labour yesterday said it was “disturbing” that Scotiabank would lay-off up to 50 Bahamian employees without cancelling a single work permit.

Addressing the bank’s branch restructuring plans outside the Cabinet Office, Shane Gibson said: “They had said to us it was approximately 50 employees, and the 50 was depending on whether or not persons can be redeployed to other branches.

“They had said to us that the worst case scenario they were looking at was 50, and the best case scenario could be less than that depending on the redeployment exercise.”

He then added: “The one additional thing that concerned me is, I don’t know how many work permit holders they have at Scotiabank, but I personally find it disturbing when you can let go, or agree to consider letting 50 Bahamians go, and not ask us to cancel one single work permit.

“It would have been acceptable to us if you would have at least said we have one, two or three work permit holders, we need to let go 50 Bahamians, and we ask you now to withdraw this one work permit holder because we no longer need them.”

Scotiabank (Bahamas) on Monday confirmed that four of its branches will be consolidated into other locations, while two Family Island offices will be closed over the next six months.

In a press statement on Monday, Scotiabank’s managing director, Sean Albert, said the restructuring was intended to create a more efficient organisation that could better serve customers at reduced costs.

Three branches in New Providence will be consolidated: Caves Village into Cable Beach; Wulff Road and East Street into Thompson Boulevard; and the British Colonial Hilton into Rawson Square. In Abaco, the Coopers Town location will be consolidated with the branch in Marsh Harbour.

Two branches in the Family Islands will be closed, including the location in Stella Maris, Long Island, and one in North Eleuthera. However, automated teller machine (ATM) service will be maintained in North Eleuthera.

The branches in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, and Buckleys, Long Island will be converted to service centres operating with reduced services and hours, and full service ATMs.

Mr Gibson, though, said: “Obviously it was very disturbing to me personally, and the Government, for a number of reasons.

“First of all, Scotiabank got all of the best years here in the Bahamas from individuals who would have banked with them, and for them to learn now that they no longer have access to their facility in Long Island, Eleuthera and in Cooper’s Town, it is disappointing to customers, and it is disappointing to workers who would have spent in some cases many years in Scotiabank.”