The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The hotel union yesterday sought to calm its Atlantis members by saying it has not been approached by the resort over permanent terminations or severance packages less than the legal minimum.

Sheila Edden-Burrows, the Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union's (BHCAWU) general secretary, nevertheless told members in an August 20 note seen by Tribune Business that it will "continue to monitor this new development" after claims circulated on social media that the Paradise Island mega resort was seeking to negotiate just a four-year severance pay-out for affected staff.

The claims, which were also seen by Tribune Business, alleged that the Government wanted Atlantis to go up to the eight-year benchmark. However, both are below the statutory 12 years set by the Employment Act as the statutory maximum for calculating severance packages for employees who have worked for a company for that length of time or longer.

And the Government is unlikely to waive or change the law just to suit one employer, no matter how large or important that company is. An Atlantis spokesperson did not respond to this newspaper's request for comment, but one resort contact - speaking on condition of anonymity - also dismissed the notion that the resort will be given special treatment or the law changed to meet its requirements.

Mrs Edden-Burrows, too, noted that it was impossible to make laws apply retroactively even if they were changed. She wrote: "We have not been approached by the company [Atlantis] with regard to any redundancies.

"The law presently provides for employees to receive redundancy payments up to 12 years. The law cannot be amended retroactively. Any amendments to the law will only affect new employees, not existing employees. Any amendments to the law would have to be debated in the House of Assembly and the Senate respectively."

Still, observers yesterday suggested it was potentially only a matter of time before Atlantis follows Baha Mar's lead and moves to permanent terminations given the complete absence of any income and the ongoing uncertainty over when the tourism industry will open and how quickly demand will come back.

John Pinder, director of labour, was tight-lipped when contacted by Tribune Business on the Atlantis situation, immediately referring this newspaper to Dion Foulkes, minister of labour. "Call my minister, I think he's dealing with it," Mr Pinder said. "I can't say anything's going on. I'm not involved. I'm hearing the same things you're hearing. He's got the information."

Mr Foulkes did not respond to Tribune Business phone calls and messages seeking comment. Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, said he was unaware of any developments.

Darrin Woods, the hotel union's president, told this newspaper that its Atlantis shop stewards had heard nothing in relation to potential terminations or reduced redundancy packages.

However, he said members across all resort properties were growing increasingly frustrated over the continued uncertainty as to when the tourism industry will re-open.