Sounding excessively eager to take up Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union president Pat Bain’s call on Wednesday to prepare to take strike action aginst the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association, shop stewards at a special meeting held at Workers House on Thursday night chanted, “We Comin’!”
During their meeting with top union executives in a closed meeting, however, they were admonished not to take any action until word was received from headquarters.
Union members took a strike vote on Dec. 4, and according to Mr Bain, negotiations have reached a stalemate.
According to BHCAWU First Vice President Quebell Rolle, “This is an administration that they can’t give a contract to. The administration that was here before, they could give a contract to. They never had this type of pressure before. We see the workers on a different level because 10 years from now, I won’t be here and the leader now won’t be here. So if we don’t set it up now, what will happen? We are having a fight for the survival of the workers in this country.”
With tourism being the Number One industry, he said, the workers were also entitled to share in the rewards.
A militant-sounding Mr Rolle said, “Those who are faithful to this course, stay on line, and those who get in the way, we’re gonna mash you up. You are not on official alert; go to work and spread the message that ‘I ready. We comin’! Anytime the union come, I ready’.”
‘Not asking much’
Declaring that many tourists come to The Bahamas for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, he went on, “Let them all come. Our position is clear. We are not asking for too much. We are not asking to break the hotel. We are not asking them to give up or cough up all of the profits. We’re only asking them for a little crumbs off the table to give to the workers.
“No one knows the day nor the hour. Go back to them and tell them the strike could take place between tomorrow and…,” he trailed off to loud cheers from union members.
The Guardian reporter was allowed into the final half hour of the meeting. Amidst cheering and applauding shop stewards, union president Bain advised that the workers should continue on their jobs until further orders were received.
‘Our time’
Proclaiming that, “We can’t be wrong and be strong,” Mr. Bain said that in 1992, and in 1993 when the industry was experiencing serious problems, the union gave up $11.5 million in benefits to help the hotels.
But now, he said, “It is our time.”
Although negotiations began in September 2002, the union leader continued, “We’ve been getting our butts kicked with the language inside this industrial agreement.”
This, he outlined, was in terms of understanding benefits, disciplinary actions and other areas.
Five years is too long a duration for a contract, he said, as by the time it expired, “We’d be hanging out to dry.”
According to Mr Bain, all the unions were finding it difficult to reach amicable industrial agreements.
Playing the percentages
Noting a total of 6,062 hotel employees, the union president said that a worker earns an average weekly salary of $236 for five days work.
The union was asking for a lump sum payments of $600 and $650, he said, and in the second year, 6 percent; the following year, no increases, and in the fourth year, 6 per cent.
On average, he said, it would represent an increase of 3 per cent across the board every year.
The BHEA he said, however, was offering $300 and $500; 3 per cent in the third year; and 3 and a half per cent in the fifth year of a five-year contract.
“No way,” one of the shop stewards responded.
“I would rather resign than to put my pen to paper before I sign a contract with that kind of increase and that kind of benefits inside this industry,” Mr Bain declared.
Reinstatement
Asking that persons wrongfully dismissed within the industry be given “re-instatement status,” union members said also that they would only support a review committee subject to certain stipulations.
“That means that if they do some things and the Review Committee Rules that they have to do it, and they don’t do it, then we want inside the provisions where they will be fined by the Committee because they didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” Mr. Bain said.
“For the past five years, we have been like a toothless tiger,” Mr Bain said, with some hotel managers steadfastly refusing to approve an industrial agreement.
The BHEA was contending, Mr Bain said, as workers made adequate amounts from tips, they did not see the need for increases in gratuities being paid across the board.
Detailing the various wage spread increases for maids, kitchen workers, front desk clerks, and other workers, he said, “We can’t agree to that. That is an insult to your integrity and to your self esteem.”
Won’t back down
The strike will take place if necessary, despite predictions that it would be detrimental to the industry, Mr Bain said.
“People who work in the tourism sector are hospitality professionals, and if they can’t be treated like hospitality professionals within this industry, then you don’t need the industry,” he declared. “This union will not bend its knees for people to ride on our backs for profitability and export it out of this country and we don’t get anything from it.”
Something ‘wrong’
In one of the meetings with Prime Minister Perry Christie, Mr Bain said, a paper was presented indicating that Kerzner International invested some $3 million to establish a hospitality training school in South Africa, and gave $50,000 to the AIDS Foundation.
“Now I tell you, if I give you $600 million in exemption, and if I give you all the things that you need in order to make your business grow, you gonna export the money to compete with me outside of the country. And I’m suppose to swallow it? Come on now. Something wrong. Something wrong with that,” Mr Bain concluded.
“All we’re saying to you, is that in the total scheme of things, the workers of the country, with their unions, must be able to stand up and stand strong even in the face of adversity. Stand firm and stand together,” he exhorted them.
Watchful sleep
The shop stewards were further advised that if they didn’t want to have a strike at this particular time, the ball was in their court. “There is more than one way to skin a cat and we will employ these mechanisms if we have to,” Mr Bain said. “When these negotiations are over and this union is going forward, all of you who are soldiers here tonight need to be soldiers forever. We are rabbit now. So sleep with one eye open.”
Country in suspense
With negotiations between the two bodies continuing over the past 15 months, BHEA head Barrie Farrington said in a telephone interview with the Guardian on Thursday night, that he was concerned that the union would use the constant threat of a strike to achieve their objectives.
“One of the things that we find disturbing or disconcerting, as does the entire country is the constant threat of the strike οΎ— having the strike vote and saying, ‘Well, if you don’t do what we want you do – you don’t know when it will happen, but one day it will happen – you’ll pay the price’ for what they perceive as our being obstinate,” said Mr. Farrington.
A strike at this juncture he said, would only threaten the competitive edge of The Bahamas in the tourism industry.
“We keep trying to reach some compromise and in negotiations, it’s give and take. Sometimes there are things that are very difficult to change, but you have to continue to search for new ways – be creative, be progressive. That is the way we go about seeking resolution to our differences,” he said.
International concern
Noting that there was some international concern over the strike threat situation, according to Mr Farrington, “We should get to the finish line and we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to get a successful outcome. If the minister wishes to reconvene meetings, we will attend. We are open-minded and we try to advance decisions based on factual information which is made available to us. We feel that what we offered to the union is fair and reasonable given the condition of our industry in totality today.”
Elusive ‘dreams’
Up to the meeting on Wednesday night, he said, it was believed that both parties had jumped over the biggest hurdles in the industrial agreement and a new basis had been established for more progressive talks.
“But unfortunately, it became evident that the opportunity for getting to a successful conclusion was going to elude us. In effect, we will just continue our negotiations. We did provide the union with a letter of our proposal on the outstanding issues and I would imagine that we will get a response, but as you have indicated, they have rejected,” said Mr. Farrington.
With regard to the gratuities, he explained that he not get into the details of this issue.
Impasse
“Unless you know the facts and the value and what it represents, it is hard to convey what the true value and effect is on the people who will benefit on the increase of gratuities. We are disappointed that we are unable to make any kind of progress with the negotiations. So it is uncertain as to what the next step will be. But at this particular moment, we are at an impasse,” said Mr. Farrington.
He said that the BHEA is committed to negotiating, and that members want to get the best results for all parties involved.
Seeks ‘closure’
Reiterating his concern about the future of the industry, Mr Farrington said, “We want to bring closure. We have set out our proposal. We have examined the issues in depth. We have tried to persuade the union, in compromise, that we will get to the finish line. We have an industry that is definitely at its crossroads. We have got a lot of catching up to do.”
It was the perception of persons within the industry, the BHEA chief continued, that “We’re at a stage where we are losing our competitive advantage and other areas are passing us by; if we are not very careful, we might find ourselves with further erosion in our tourism product and in our industry that will make it even more difficult to afford to create the right environment for our employees to make the kind of living that they are currently enjoying and
By Vanessa Rolle, The Nassau Guardian
