The Tribune

• Staff in ‘go slow, work to rule’ protest

• Fast-food firm ‘surprise’; one issue left

• Union: ‘Tell them bring people’s money’

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Kentucky Fried Chicken’s (KFC) operator yesterday urged the hotel union not to take “further industrial action” as staff initiated a “go slow and work to rule” protest over contract talks.

Restaurants (Bahamas), in a statement that apologised to customers “for any inconvenience”, said it was “surprised” that Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) members would resort to industrial action now given that just one issue remains outstanding in the two sides’ negotiations.

Calling on the hotel union’s leadership to resume negotiations, the KFC franchise identified the “lump sum payment” to staff as the only area where the two sides are in disagreement. However, Darrin Woods, the union’s president, responded by telling Tribune Business: “Tell them to bring the people’s money.”

He confirmed that Restaurants (Bahamas) reference to a “lump sum payment” was its $800 offer - equivalent to $100 per year - to cover the eight years since the line staff’s last industrial agreement expired in 2015. The BHCAWU president reiterated that the sum on offer was “disappointing and humiliating”, and maintained that the company was mistaking its “diplomatic” approach to negotiations for weakness.

Firing back at KFC’s statement, Mr Woods told this newspaper: “I don’t think they can tell me what to do. Tell them to bring the people’s money. That’s all. We’re on go slow and work to rule. With any further action, only one thing’s going to stop it.”

Restaurants (Bahamas), in response to the actions taken by around 350 unionised staff, had earlier said it “is hopeful that the leadership of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) will continue negotiations without resorting to further industrial action”.

It added: “Restaurants (Bahamas) is surprised at the need for industrial action at this time. However, we remain committed to resolving any and all outstanding issues. Following months of good faith negotiations, both parties have successfully reached agreement on all but one of the contract terms.

“This reflects our commitment to fostering good employee union relations in addressing improved terms and conditions for our team members. The only remaining issue of a lump sum payment can be addressed and amicably resolved and negotiations finalised.

“We understand the importance of this issue and are actively working to address it in a manner that is fair and in the best interests of the company and our team members. We remain committed to working together to swiftly resolve this point to the satisfaction of both parties.”

Mr Woods yesterday confirmed the “lump sum payment” referred to a total $800 offer for the eight years since the last KFC industrial agreement expired in 2015, which he previously branded as “insulting”, “humiliating” and “offensive” in a previous interview with Tribune Business.

Signalling that his position has not changed, the union president reiterated of the “lump sum payment”: “That’s precisely what they’re talking about. That’s precisely what they’re referring to. If you think about the millions of dollars we gave back to the company in the last negotiation, they should be running to give the people more money.

“They can minimise it as much as they would like to do. It’s a very important point.” Mr Woods previously asserted that, over the past eight years, the union had given KFC “millions of dollars in concessions” to help the business. These included health and welfare; a suspension of the long service award; allowing the brand to pay bonuses over time; and a new provision for illness and holidays.

Asked for his response to KFC’s call for the union to refrain from further industrial action, the BHCAWU chief said: “That’s fine. Tell them they will be shocked if we continue. I’m not going back and forth in the media. I said what I needed to say around the table. I told them I was disappointed and humiliated” by the $800 lump sum offer to cover the previous eight years.

Asserting that the fast-food franchise is taking advantage of the union’s approach, Mr Woods said: “People say that the union needs to engage in more dialogue, but it’s been a year of continuing to dialogue. I think they’re taking my style, which is a bit more relaxed and diplomatic, for weakness, but it ain’t so.

“We’re not being unreasonable. For every line item, we gave them raw numbers. We were reasonable; I don’t think we were unreasonable in this respect.” Providing an analogy to describe the present state of industrial relations at KFC and the company’s options, Mr Woods added: “It’s like this. If you have a pain, you live with the pain or take something to relieve the pain.

“You decide how to deal with the pain. You can either continue doing your thing, or take something for it and hope the pain doesn’t get worse. It’s been there for a while now.” The industrial action comes after Mr Woods told Tribune Business on Monday that he and the union’s KFC’s members had become increasingly frustrated over what he branded as the fast-food franchise’s “feet dragging”.

Warning that “the gloves are off”, he added that they have “exercised the patience of Job” in negotiations with the company and will not let talks go past month’s end without concluding a deal. Mr Woods, pledging a “no holds barred” strategy, said the union will adopt similar tactics to bring all other industrial negotiations to a conclusion, including the talks with the Bahamas Hotel and Restaurant Employers Association.

Those discussions primarily involve a new industrial deal for Atlantis line staff, given the closures of multiple previously-unionised properties in recent years. The BHCAWU is also currently involved in talks on deals for workers at Best Western, Graycliff and Harbourside. Mr Woods said all five negotiations appeared “seem to be stuck in this place” of trying to agree worker compensation and benefits.

The hotel union and its members have been without an industrial agreement with the Bahamas Hotel and Restaurant Employers Association since the last one expired in January 2013, more than one decade ago. A former union administration failed to supply its proposal for a new agreement within the time stipulated before the last deal ended.

As a result, 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 at their employer’s goodwill.