This issue came to light when Atlantis employees held an “unauthorised” work stoppage last Monday protesting “unreasonable” salary increases, and the lengthy time the union was taking to seal negotiations.
The current industrial agreement being proposed involves 11 hotels in New Providence and Paradise Island with the BHCAWU.
However, the union is pushing for Atlantis to have its own industrial agreement because Atlantis employees total 3,000 of the union 7,000 membership.
In a statement from BHA vice president Michael Reckley, he said that the association was not holding up this process, but had been committed to reaching a “reasonable” industrial agreement on the employees’ behalf.
He noted the grievances of Atlantis employees in Nov. 17 article, where they lambasted the union for taking so long to complete negotiations, adding that the union was doing a disservice to its members by raising unrealistic expectations and delaying progress in negotiations.
“This week’s work stoppage at Atlantis points to exactly the kind of employee frustration that ought to signal the pressing need for mutual appreciation of our collective situation in The Bahamas. As we have stated all along, the stark reality is that The Bahamas tourism industry is at a crossroads and the only way forward is to settle on a practical solution,” said Mr. Reckley.
He said that the hotel sector continued to hurt because of a laggard US economy, increased competition and the fear of terrorism as it related to safe travel.
“If we cannot produce the necessary profits for reinvestment in our project, we risk losing more market share, a further decline in revenues and possibly additional layoffs across the industry. The union must be realistic and face these facts. The long term competitive position of The Bahamas tourist industry depends on it,” he said.
Although faced with the challenges of hard economic times, Mr. Reckley said that the association presented a “thorough and reasonable” package for its employees which also offered specific improvements in benefits.
“The Union on the other hand is holding out for entirely unreasonable increases in wages and gratuities despite lower occupancy rates, falling revenues and a very high operating cost structure,” he said.
He added that the association was poised to conclude negotiations and reaching a settlement “as quickly as possible in the interests of our employees. I’m not sure, however, that the union leadership has the same interest.”
By Vanessa Rolle, The Nassau Guardian
