The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE government will be closely monitoring innovations at Sandals and its rehiring process in a bid to hold the resort accountable to its “promises” after more than 600 workers were fired this week, according to Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson was hesitant to confirm whether any action will come from her office in response to the resort’s redundancy move - elements of which Minister of Labour Shane Gibson had termed “illegal”.

Meanwhile, Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort released a statement yesterday saying more than two-dozen workers were on site Wednesday conducting repairs.

A hotel official stressed that while no resort wants to close its doors and inconvenience staff and guests - in this case the property “had no choice”.

And Sandals’ Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart said the property will re-open in October as officials look forward to the “best season ever.”

“We wanted to accomplish the work in the shortest period of time so as the last guests departed, the heavy equipment moved in,” Mr Stewart said. “We were committed to bringing Sandals Royal Bahamian up to the grandeur and style she deserves and delivering the standard which our guests have come to expect. We will have a grand re-opening in October and look forward to our best season ever.”

Weighing in on the matter yesterday, Mrs Maynard-Gibson said: “I don’t think illegality or legality really advances everything, unfortunately it’s a situation that happened.

“I do think it’s fair to say that the government - the Ministry of Labour and other government agencies - will be holding them firm to what they have published as their intention to expedite the repairs at the resort, to open the resort which is key to our winter season on October 14, and to immediately commence the process of engagement of Bahamians and certain numbers of who will be engaged, including potentially persons who were already employed to be re-employed.”

She added: “So the government will be watching very closely and holding Sandals to its promises.”

The resort closed on Monday to begin renovations, offering severance packages to more than 600 workers.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Monday, Mr Gibson said his ministry only found out about Sandals’ planned closure while reading about it in the newspaper earlier this month. On the issue of redundancies, he said Sandals informed his ministry about this by letter last Friday, one business day before firings.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson said: “I know that all the relevant ministers including the prime minister have expressed disappointment, given the excellent relations that exists between the government and the union and investors, that the government did not have the opportunity to be made aware of this whole situation.

“It’s just a matter of good industrial relations practice apart from anything else that the Ministry of Labour ought to have been consulted.”

She reflected on past labour issues, where the government directly or through appointed conciliators assisted with bringing amicable resolutions, adding that it was a grave disappointment that such opportunities were denied.

“The government didn’t know what was going to happen so I can’t comment on what could or could not have been avoided,” she said. “What I can comment on is the opportunity for repair of this beautiful resort and the reopening of the resort on October 14, which is around the corner, and the promise of employment for that same number of Bahamians. That’s very important.”

On Monday, Mr Gibson told the House of Assembly that it was illegal to force anyone to sign a deed of release in order to receive benefits to which they are entitled.

Yesterday, Mrs Maynard-Gibson said that issue had not come to her attention.

“If it is in fact in the Attorney General’s Office,” she said, “it wouldn’t really need to be escalated as high as the attorney general. I don’t know what did or did not happen. What I do know is that if it is in the Office of the Attorney General, the officers there are exceedingly competent and on a matter like this they would have already responded.

“And I also know that the union leaders are very determined to give good representation to their members so I’m sure that one way or the other if that happened it would be satisfactorily resolved.”

When pressed for further comment on the matter, she said: “Rights that are enshrined in the law are rights. They cannot be taken away from you.”

Speaking to the closure, Director Corporate Services at Sandals Resorts International Jeremy Jones said in a statement: “No hotelier ever wants to close a property, displace staff and relocate guests. But we had no choice given the engineer’s findings and report that there was no way around closing in order to effect such major repairs that extend from the depth of the underground to the pool and spa that guests would not be able to access.”

According to Sandals, Bahamian crews were jackhammering up two pool decks yesterday and in the basement, had opened ceilings covering plumbing that needed repair and were pulling down drenched insulation, exposing rusty pipes with leaks in numerous places.