The Tribune

By Natario McKenzie

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Minister of Tourism yesterday urged the hotel union to step back from the “nuclear option” of a strike that would be devastating for The Bahamas’ largest industry and wider economy.

While acknowledging that the union’s dispute with resort employers was still “a long way” from an actual strike, Dionisio D’Aguilar warned that industrial unrest would impact 55 percent of the Bahamian economy and tens of thousands of Bahamian workers in addition to threatening the tourism industry’s strong performance.  

He was backed by Dion Foulkes, minister of labour, who acknowledged the government is “very concerned” over a potential strike by hotel workers at several of the major resort properties after the Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU), their bargaining agent, rejected a proposal by the Bahamas Hotel Restaurant and Employers Association (BHREA). 

Mr Foulkes said: “The government is very concerned about the current situation between the hotel union and the hotel employers association. They are in the process of negotiating a new contract. What has happened thus far is there has been a meeting at the Department of Labour. One of our senior officers, a deputy director of the department, is conciliating the talks between both sides.

“At the last meeting it was agreed that an exchange of dates would happen for negotiations to begin for a new contract. That happened. The hotel union sent in dates for next week, but unfortunately the hotel employers association is not available. Their lead negotiator will not be available until June 27.”

Mr Foulkes said he had spoken to union president, Darren Woods, yesterday morning, during which tim he indicated that June 27 had not yet been agreed to. The union will now have discussions with the employer representative to agree upon a date for talks.

The minister encouraged both sides to sit down and work out an agreement, pointing out that the “15 percent gratuity has been an accepted part of every negotiation going back now for several negotiations”.

Mr D’Aguilar, meanwhile, said: “The union has expressed that there are four items that have caused them enormous concern. One issue is obviously the elimination of the automatic 15 percent gratuity, the elimination of the ham and turkey, the payment of the Christmas bonus in January as opposed to December, and the Christmas bonus being based on the profitability of the hotel as opposed to just a multiple of your weekly wage. This is a negotiation process.”

He added: “I implore both parties not to get the hotel workers prematurely upset. I consider a strike the nuclear option and we are a long way from that. I would implore both parties, both the union and the employers, to get into a room and ensure that they come to an amicable solution. A strike at this time would be devastating. Fifty-five percent of our economy is based tourism.

“Many tens of thousands of Bahamians rely on tourism for their livelihood. I implore both parties to get into a room and let calmer heads prevail to ensure that we don’t get to where I think we are headed, and to ensure that whatever we come up with is good for both parties. No one will be happy 100 percent but always keep in the back of your head that 55 percent of our gross domestic product is derived from tourism and this will effect the entire country so we must let calmer heads prevail.”

Sheila Burrows, the union’s general secretary, previously told Tribune Business that the recent offer by resort employers threatened to take the union’s 4,000-5,000 membership “back 60 years”. A strike poll is set for tomorrow. 

The last industrial agreement between the two sides expired back in 2013, and its terms are being treated as if it is still in effect. This resulted from the union missing the October 8, 2012, deadline by which it had to submit its proposal for a new industrial agreement - as it was required to do by the conditions set out in the old deal.  

The resorts that are members of the employer bargaining unit are Melia, Atlantis, Ocean Club, Harbourside, the British Colonial Hilton, Lyford Cay Club and Towne Hotel.