The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE government is working on completing voluntary separation payouts for Grand Lucayan staff before Christmas, according to Finance Minister K Peter Turnquest, who yesterday insisted there was an agreement with the workforce’s trade unions. 

Mr Turnquest suggested negotiations between those groups were ongoing up until Tuesday as he fielded questions about the process outside Parliament.

His comments came after Tribune Business exclusively published an interview with Michael Scott, chair of the special purpose vehicle that controls the resort, who said the payouts will proceed without such an agreement.

However, the board’s decision will need to be approved by the Minnis Cabinet, Mr Scott said, as he revealed his fellow directors “will not let me advance a dollar more” on what they considered “a fair and reasonable offer” to both unions.

“As far as I know they have been negotiating right up until yesterday and there is an agreement on how it will be settled. As far as I’m aware we’ve come to a position with respect to it and those payouts should happen very, very soon,” said Mr Turnquest.

When asked about total costs for the exercise, he said: “I really don’t remember but I think we had suggested somewhere around $5m in total. I think that number is still in play, I don’t know where exactly but we should make that target. 

“It will be a full settlement,” he said when asked whether back pay will be included in payouts. “It should happen before Christmas, we are working on that.”

Meanwhile Mr Scott told Tribune Business that despite “bending over backwards” in negotiations, and attempting to be “as generous as we could,” the board could not meet the unions’ demands given their limited taxpayer-financed budget.

He confirmed the board had retreated to its previous fall-back position of a “take it or leave it” approach.  

Cheques will be made available, and all those declining to accept them will be deemed as having decided to stay and be required to report to work as normal, he said.

The VSEPs matter was raised in Parliament by Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin, who called on the government to account for why staff have not yet been paid.

She suggested information concerning negotiations has not “trickled down” to employees.

“I believe there is some concern with the people of Our Lucaya, they have not been paid,” Mrs Hanna-Martin said.

“The people of Our Lucaya, the staff have not been given their payout and they are very concerned about it. I was asked to raise it in this house - the fact that this administration has not yet paid out their redundancy payments…I’m asking the government to account to these people, who you said the government has bought the hotel for.”