The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Trade unions representing Grand Lucayan workers are seeking to meet with resort executives to work out an arrangement where staff could receive payment for “a couple of weeks”, as they also step up to provide post-Matthew support.

Obie Ferguson, the  Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) president, said yesterday: “When I go to Freeport in effect I will be reemphasising the need for the employer to operate under these circumstances with restraint, while understanding the difficulty the hotel faces as well.

“We will try and do what we can and discuss the matter with the employer.

“Things are really rough up there and  the employees will need help, there is no question about that.”

The Grand Lucayan Resort is expected to re-open on November 7.

The 519-room property, which consists of Breaker’s Cay and Lighthouse Pointe, is undergoing repair for

significant roof damage following the Category Four storm.

The Commonwealth Union Hotel, Services and Allied Workers (CUHSAW) union represents workers at the Grand Lucayan Resort, which is up for sale by way of a sealed bid auction.

The 409-acre property, owned by the Hutchison Whampoa Group, has been on the market since January.

Mr Ferguson added that the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association, another TUC affiliate of which he is the president, will also reach out to its members.

“We will be making compensation of some sort to the members of the union who have been adversely affected as a result, and to ensure that they get something from the association,” he added.

“They have been good members in support of the association, and now I think that the time has come for the association to do something tangible for each member of the BHMA who are employed with the Grand Lucayan.”