General manager of the Four Seasons Resort at Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Mr. Ramesh Sadhwani, said the story in Wednesday’s Bahama Journal entitled “Unrest brews at Emerald Bay” was a sensational one and therefore irresponsible.
He said Anthony Archer, a bartender who spoke negatively about the resort to that paper does not speak for all employees as Archer claimed.
The general manager said the statements have upset many employees and as a result, he would be talking to Mr. Archer today (Thursday) in an attempt to get the bottom of the issue. A human resource employee also said Mr. Archer’s comments were untrue.
Mr. Archer was off on Wednesday and was unavailable for comment. He reportedly told the Bahama Journal that employees at the five-star resort were on edge, claiming that gratuities had increased from 10 to 15 per cent and that employees were seeking to join the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union.
The bartender also reportedly said the hotel was understaffed and employees were working overtime and double shifts but not adequately compensated, only receiving $40 for two weeks’ gratuities.
Mr. Sadhwani said management had a meeting with all the staff recently to explain how the service charges work. He said when the resort had a small amount of visitors, the service charges were proportionally smaller.
He also said he clearly pointed out to the staff that the service charges would grow as the business grows. He admitted that business at the resort is now picking up and hence the service charges on the next pay cheque of employees would be much more substantial than the $40.00 of which Mr. Archer reportedly spoke.
“But everybody is getting paid for the hours they work. Whatever service charges are accumulated, they get distributed accordingly. And you should ask Mr. Archer to look at his pay cheque when he gets paid on Friday, and ask him if his service charges is $40.00,” he said.
“And yes we are short staff; we’re short staff in certain areas, and I’ve never made any big deal about it,” Mr. Sadhwani added.
He noted that the Ministry of Labour is aware of the positions where the resort has vacancies and is assisting with the recruitment of people from several Family Islands.
The general manager also said he was not happy with the story and explained that the resort is making a positive impact in the Exuma community and ultimately The Bahamas.
He added that he could not understand what would motivate someone to try to damage the reputation of such a respected company worldwide, considering the fact that the Exuma property has only been operating for one month.
“We (Four Seasons) would not be in business very long if we treated employees unfairly. And we are not about to undermine a $320 million investment by operating in a manner other than what is unexpected of us,” he said.
Prime Minister Perry Christie officially opened the resort on Dec. 15. It has 183 rooms, 487 employees and represents the largest investment in the Exumas.
The resort has claimed first position on many prestigious lists. Recent honours include being named to Fortune magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For (for the sixth consecutive year); and the American Automobile Association’s (triple A) Five Diamond awards, receiving more than any other hotel company for the 22nd consecutive year.
By Mindell Small, The Nassau Guardian
