The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A senior hotelier yesterday welcomed the Government’s decision to clarify which two days will be designated as “holidays” this Christmas for better enabling the industry to control labour costs.

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business that confirmation December 28 will NOT be a public holiday will allow resorts to now properly plan roster schedules for the Christmas weekend and the week leading up to New Year.

With “premium rates” of at least “double time” or pay mandated for employees who work on Christmas Day and September 27, he said determining the number of staff rostered for those days was critical to controlling labour costs.

“Nothing has really changed financially. We appreciate the clarification. There is no negative or positive impact to the hospitality industry,” Mr Sands told this newspaper.

“I think it brings clarity to the situation, because there was some consideration that the Christmas holiday might be moved to Monday and the Boxing Day holiday be moved to Tuesday, and for some people that may have been a four-day break.

“As it currently stands, it will be a three-day break over Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It’s not additional days; it’s just when the day is officially recognised as a holiday by the Government of The Bahamas.”

Mr Sands spoke after Clint Watson, the Prime Minister’s press secretary, said the Davis Cabinet had decided to maintain the status quo and not designate Tuesday, December 28, as a holiday. “Cabinet has decided not to change the holiday schedule,” he confirmed. “So Tuesday will not be a public holiday.”

The BHTA chief responded: “It will allow persons to be able to roster in advance properly having had the clarity of which days are being recognised as holidays. That’s extremely important.

“Rostering determines the volumes of staff required, and inclusive of premium rates being paid, so labour costs on these holidays have to be monitored very, very closely. I think the same applies to retail, restaurants and businesses that are operate at the weekend.”

With Christmas Day designated as a holiday on the 25th, despite falling on the weekend, and the Boxing Day holiday moved from the Sunday to the Monday, Mr Sands said the resort industry now knows which two days will require a “premium rate” of holiday pay.

Peter Goudie, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) labour specialist, added of the December 28 decision: “That’s not going to affect businesses hardly at all. A lot of them will stay closed over the Christmas weekend, and be open in the week before the New Year.

“That will have less impact. Christmas Day they’re going to be closed, and will open for the week. It’s not as major an impact as I thought. That’s good news.”