The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DAYS after Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club announced its closure and the redundancy of some of its positions, many workers are expressing uncertainty over their future.

One employee — who asked to be identified as Mrs Higgs – said she received a call early this week from a Baker’s Bay human resources director, who explained that her position at the Abaco resort has been made redundant.

She said: “I am very uncertain about my future because right now, we as employees, are in a position of well ‘what do we do now?’ Because at one point, everyone was like, ‘well what is Baker’s going to do with us now that the storm is gone?’

“So now that there is an answer, I think we have to reshuffle and revisit the idea of what are we going to do now given the fact of what we’re going through right now. I don’t even have a clear step on what’s next for me.

“There’s no time frame for how long it will take for (Baker’s Bay) to clean up. There’s no time frame on when and if people will return or not. There’s no time on how long the rebuilding will take. So, everything is really uncertain for all of their employees. Some don’t have nowhere else to go.”

Another Baker’s Bay employee, who did not want to be named, said the atmosphere at the property is “gloomy” at best, given everything that is happening. “Right in my presence this morning, one of the guys from Baker’s Bay came in and turn his cellphone and supplies to his boss lady and said they (made his position redundant). This is on Baker’s Bay side. He had tears in his eyes, crying and whatnot….so the atmosphere is not good,” he said.

Bakers Bay’s decision to close came nearly two months after Hurricane Dorian ripped through Abaco and Grand Bahama, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.

In a memo released to its staff on Monday, the private multi-million dollar club noted that the closure period could last six to 15 months as a result of the significant damage left by Hurricane Dorian. The company said all salaried and hourly workers would be paid through October 20.

“We are cognizant that the staff needs answers regarding the prospects for future employment… Management has identified 200 positions that will provide support during the club closure,” the statement read.

However, there are some employees who are still waiting for confirmation from Baker’s Bay regarding their employment status.

One worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “I haven’t got a phone call as yet, but I’m hoping that they will call soon. I have children and we need to know what we’re going to do next because we don’t have a set plan.”

Meanwhile Mrs Higgs, who has worked for the company for some eight years, said it will be hard for her to move on, but going forward is the only choice for her despite the uncertainty of the future..

“I’ve started to look around at jobs and I feel free now in that I could look for a job instead of waiting around trying to hear from Baker’s. I’m happy that I know now what to do,” she said.

It is unclear how many workers have been affected by the closure.