The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The hotel union’s president says it is just “one item” away from concluding an industrial agreement with the main employer body, and believes once it is completed other “dominoes” will fall.

Darrin Woods, the Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union’s (BHCAWU) chief, told Tribune Business that he hopes to close negotiations with the Bahamas Hotel and Restaurant Employers Association, which represents Atlantis in particular, “in short order” on a deal that will result in members being paid in accordance with the sector’s status as the country’s “number one industry”.

And he forecast that successfully completing those talks will have a “cascading” effect that results in the union’s other industrial agreement negotiations with the likes of Restaurants Bahamas (KFC), Best Western, Graycliff and Harbourside also “wrapping up” relatively quickly.

“We’re still chugging at it,” Mr Woods told this newspaper of discussions with the Bahamas Hotel and Restaurant Employers Association. “We’re down to one item, and are trying to get through that. We’re almost there. The thing about it is I really do believe we will get there shortly.

“All [agreement negotiations] are pretty much at the same stage. There’s a domino effect and cascading also. I believe that when we get one completed the others will follow, too. We believe that we should be able to wrap it up in short order. It will be what I call ‘a red letter day’ and the members will be happy. They’re constantly asking how long, how soon. We have to wrap up this process, bring it to a close and move on.”

The union and its members have been without an industrial agreement since the last one expired in January 2013, more than one decade ago. Atlantis and other resorts in the Association have operated as if the previous agreement’s terms and conditions are still in effect and, as a result, BHCAWU union members have not enjoyed any wage or benefit improvements for the past ten years other than those provided by their employers.

Mr Woods declined to detail what the outstanding issue is, although he indicated it was financial-related, or what the union is seeking for its members or what they are likely to receive. However, he added: “It gives them additional job security and tenure, and more benefits across the board, and the emoluments and wages.

“It all represents improvement, but they will have to wait until that day. They’ll be extremely happy. What I can say to them is that, while it might have been a long time coming, they will be relatively happy with what we’ve been able to do by the masses and.... they’ll be able to look at where they were and where they will be. They will be that much further ahead in terms of position.

“We always talk about the hotel industry being the number one industry. We believe this agreement puts us on the pace to be paid commensurate with being the number one industry. We kind of try to fit closely with what the Government has done. We salute them for the bold steps they’ve taken up to this point. People talk about the minimum wage being what it is, but it has been increased significantly, particularly for people in the service industry, so we are able to build on what they’ve done and take it to another level.”

Mr Woods said the hotel union’s outstanding industrial agreements have now all reached the stage of addressing financial terms. He added that there were “one or two anomalies”, which he did not specify, relating to Restaurant Bahamas but said that once these were addressed “everything will flow from it”.

The BHCAWU president said he remained concerned about the loss of potential tourism business for The Bahamas due to continuing room inventory shortages resulting from resort closures such as those of the British Colonial and Melia Nassau Beach. He added that while there had been “some movement” at the former, and suggestions it will re-open in time for the winter 2023-2024 season, no official confirmations had come from either property.

“We know there’s a scramble for rooms,” Mr Woods said. “I think it was the third week of March that I was trying to get a room for somebody and there were no rooms on the island. It was completely sold out. I only wanted it for one night. That tells you how strong the industry is doing right now. It could also be the reduction in available rooms, but where we represent people we know the bookings are strong.

“If we don’t have rooms, clients will shift to other destinations, so that’s why it’s important for us to get rooms back into circulation. If they are booking for agencies or with hotels direct, and cannot find rooms, they will look for alternative destinations and that is something we don’t want. They can find restaurants, can find something to do, but if they have no place to stay they won’t come and we don’t want to miss out on any opportunities at all.”

Mr Woods said hotel union members, and employees generally, are continuing to benefit from the industry’s post-COVID recovery. “I said to one member that I wanted to invite them to meeting, and they couldn’t come because they are working six-day weeks,” he told this newspaper. “They’re reaping the financial benefits of what is happening now. It’s pretty much across the board.

“The industry has been very strong. The reason I can say that is because August, September and October last year, and the first part of November and the first part of December, have traditionally been relatively slow but last year was the complete opposite. They’ve been benefiting from it for quite a while.

“The bookings seem to be very strong based on all the accounts we’ve been getting. We’re hoping the trend continues all the way through the year. You can never make up for lost time, but kind of embrace the moment you have.”