Friday’s signing of an industrial agreement that would affect more than 200 middle managers and supervisors at the government-owned Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort has some investors fearful that similar contracts will follow at other hotel properties.
One Cabinet Minister who was close to the matter also told the Bahama Journal that signing such agreements may send “mixed” signals to investors.
President of Kerzner International Butch Kerzner, meanwhile, has reportedly expressed concerns to the government regarding what the Radisson agreement signing may mean for other hotel properties.
The signing comes as Kerzner carries out the initial stages of its $600 million Phase III expansion of the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.
During Friday’s signing, Minister of Labour and Immigration Vincent Peet emphasized that the particular agreement affected only the Radisson workers.
Union leaders feel that some investors see unions as deterrents to productivity and would do anything possible to derail attempts by the workers to unionize.
On Friday, Hotel Corporation executives sat down amicably with Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association (BHMA) officials and signed off on a two-year industrial agreement for the Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort.
The signing came after several delays in recent weeks after George Myers, who heads the management company that runs the hotel for the government, raised several legal objections to the contract.
After calling members of the press to a signing more than two weeks ago, officials were forced to put it off several times.
The Association had struggled for seven years to secure an industrial contract for the middle managers and supervisors at the hotel.
Noting the challenges along the way, Hotel Corporation Chairman George Smith said the parties had come to this point “via a rocky road.”
“This industrial agreement has been a long time coming,” he said. “The industrial contract began with a Recognition Agreement in 1994…For many months, the Corporation and the Association endeavored to bring closure to what has been a very long process in developing an agreement acceptable to both sides.”
Nonetheless, he said, the agreement comprises a significant milestone in the Corporation’s development and augurs well for industrial harmony as it moves towards building a stronger tourism product and a better country.
“This Agreement safeguards the authority of the Corporation and management of the Hotel to make unfettered management decisions and staff changes within the provisions of our labour laws,” said Mr. Smith, who was flanked by Managing Director of the Hotel Corporation, Dr. Baltron Bethel and attorney for the Corporation, Mr. Harvey Tynes, QC.
“The Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association agrees to work cooperatively with the management of Radisson in building upon this new framework, striving always for higher quality of service and training,” he said.
Equally pleased for the opportunity to begin a “bright new chapter” in their relationship, BHMA President Obie Ferguson told the media that the historic signing shows that with the right people doing the right things, a lot of problems could be subsided.
It is also a clear example of the government’s positive attitude towards its workers, he said.
“This government is a government for the little man,” Mr. Ferguson said. “And this doesn’t suggest that there will not be misunderstandings, but I can assure you that from what I have seen, they would entertain discussions that are sensible and in the interest of our country.”
The BHMA President added that the agreement would bring some fundamental changes. He said it would not protect mediocrity, but rather promote training to establish productivity standards within the hotel industry.
“We will not only ask the Corporation to do things, but we will put our money where our mouth is too,” he said. “A portion of those dues will be used to train and retrain our people.”
Mr. Ferguson, who had promised “dramatic action” early last week, in light of the collective bargaining agreement being stalled, further pointed out that that the Association would never do anything that would damage the country.
Were such widespread industrial action to happen, it could have done significant harm to the hotel and tourism sector, as it would have coincided with one of the busiest weekends that normally draw thousands of tourists traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday, government officials recognized.
On hand for the signing, Minister Peet indicated that the industrial signing illustrates that there can be a healthy collaborative relationship between managers at the top and those at the other level.
Minister Peet added that the signing is an event that can and hopefully would be viewed as a far-reaching one with positive implications.
By Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
