The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday criticised the Christie administration for the “take it or leave it” nature of the Baha Mar claims payout process, saying that former employees “should not be told to be grateful that they are being paid for their completed work.”

Dr Minnis, in a statement, criticised the government and its Baha Mar Claims Committee for its blunt position on the issuance of the settlement sums, claiming that such a stance is a disservice to persons who “have struggled for a year anticipating that the government would hopefully stand up for them to their Chinese allies.”

Dr Minnis said the government now expects former employees “to be grateful for what they are getting, in some cases less than what is due to them, and then be quiet.”

Dr Minnis also criticised the clarity of the payout process, charging that the government has “provided little direction or details” to the former Baha Mar workers and further questioned why some former employees were being “forced” to sign for their payout cheques without having a “clear assessment or understanding” of the process or if they are being compensated correctly. Dr Minnis also reiterated his calls for Prime Minister Perry Christie to “finally unseal” the particulars of the government’s deal with the China Export-Import Bank (CEXIM), which has made the pay out process possible.

His statements came less than a day after the government commenced its three-day claims payout process for Baha Mar’s 2,000-plus former employees at the Crystal Palace Hotel Casino.

Earlier this month, Baha Mar’s former workers were bluntly informed that their payouts will be made on a “take it or leave it basis,” with little room for them to dispute the compensation offered.

The five-person Claims Committee, headed by former State Minister for Finance Minister James Smith, has said that while it would “certainly consider” correcting the settlement sum offered in the event of a mistake, the former employees have “no legal entitlement” to any of the funds the committee is administering.

The creditor committee also warned the ex-employees that while they could reject its financial offer and take action against their former employer, this was “unlikely to result in a material payment to you.”

“Baha Mar employees and certainly any other employees who find themselves in a similar position should expect to be paid all outstanding payments and should not be told to be grateful that they are being paid for their completed work,” Dr Minnis said.

“These former employees have struggled for a year anticipating that the government would hopefully stand up for them to their Chinese allies. Now the government just wants them to be grateful for what they are getting, in some cases less than what is due to them, and then be quiet.

“But true to form this government has provided little direction or details to these former Baha Mar workers, who are forced to show up with very little information when they try to get what is owed to them.

“Why should they be forced to sign without having a clear assessment or understanding of the process or given the time to make a clear assessment if they are being compensated correctly?” Dr Minnis asked. “This is not how you treat people that have been wronged, but sadly this is how the PLP government treats the Bahamian people who elected them to serve.”

Dr Minnis also called for the prime minister to reveal the particulars of the government’s deal with CEXIM.

“The people continue to cry out for transparency and true accountability,” he added. “It’s time for the embattled prime minister to finally unseal his secret deal and let the Bahamian people see what else we should be ‘grateful’ for.”

On Tuesday, former employees had mixed feelings about the claims payout process.

While some former Baha Mar employees expressed no disappointment in receiving their settlement sums from the beleaguered resort, others complained of the low amount offered.

One former employee, who spoke to The Tribune, said while the process “went pretty smooth,” he felt that former employees “should have been paid more.”

The former employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said it wasn’t clear what the payment represented, and also that nothing was mentioned about pension payments.

The employee was also angered by a release document employees had to sign to receive their cheques, which said upon receipt of the pay out, they would not make a claim against Baha Mar or Perfect Luck Ltd, the special purpose vehicle set up for the claims exercise.

On Sunday, Mr Smith advised employees not to worry if payments did not match the amount listed on their redundancy letters. He urged workers with discrepancies to bring in the letter they received from the resort’s human resources department upon their termination as the committee was prepared to deal with any dispute.

However, the Claims Committee has maintained that the staff will have little choice but to accept what is on offer this week.