The government, meanwhile, is urging both sides to reach conclusion on a new contract for hotel workers before the end of the week.
But sources close to the negotiations say that one of the problems that the government faces is that there appears to be “trouble in the camp” as it relates to the hotel union, with President Pat Bain making certain commitments that other union executives later object to.
Executives of the union are split and are at odds over the strategies which should be employed in negotiations with the Employers’ Association.
One former executive of the union told the Journal over the weekend that Mr. Bain has been unable to control the machinations of Secretary General Leo Douglas, who at times is unreasonable in his demands.
The strong-willed Mr. Douglas has been a lead negotiator for the union and is known in the trade union movement for his rubble-rousing initiatives.
In past years, when Tom Bastian was president of the union, he was able to control the union executives, but Mr. Bain appears unable to reign in officials like Mr. Douglas. The Douglas faction of the union is said to have a heavy hand in the current negotiations.
When asked to respond to reports that Mr. Bain may be facing strong opposition from within his union, Labour Minister Vincent Peet said he wished not to get involved in any internal matters of the union.
“My job is to make sure that we can arrive at an agreement in the shortest possible time for the sake of all parties and the country,” Minister Peet said. “Anything else is not on the table.”
Both the union and the Employersﾴ Association have agreed to refrain from speaking about the dispute to the press at this time.
Minister Peet now faces the option of sending the dispute to an industrial tribunal.
But he said last night, “That doesn’t arise at this point.”
Some trade unionists, meanwhile, believe that the best and quickest resolution to the problem would come if the government forms a special panel to bring conclusion to the dispute.
The panel would include, among other members, religious leaders. Over the past several weeks, the government has asked Christian Council President Bishop Sam Greene, Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Bishop Neil Ellis and other Christian figures to intervene in the matter.
Minister Peet said, “Talks are continuing in a much more controlled environment and full resumption of talks will take place at nine at my office [Monday morning] so that we can continue to explore all options at trying to arrive at an agreement.”
An executive order issued by the Minister last week ended a three-day go-slow at three hotels that coincided with the state visit of South African President Thabo Mbeki.
The union’s 1st Vice President Quebell Rolle said last night that had Minister Peet not issued that order, the go-slow would still have been continuing.
The government had hoped that the hotel union and the Employers’ Association would have reached agreement on a new industrial contract before the New Year, but 2003 ended with both sides still facing an impasse.
In his New Year’s Day message, Association President J. Barrie Farrington reported that 2003 was, “unfortunately, a year with more negatives than positives for the Bahamas tourist industry.”
Mr. Farrington said, “We experienced dangerously low occupancy levels and falling revenues, at the same time we faced ever-increasing competition and persistent concerns about global terrorism. And, of course, on top of all of these tremendous challenges, we now suffer from various forms of industrial action which may end in a strike.”
He added that optimism alone will not change the situation.
“It will have to be coupled with renewed energy and productivity in the interest of our valued guests,” Mr. Farrington said. “Only through a commitment to improving our service and performance, can we preserve our livelihood and improve upon it for the long term.”
The Bahama Journal
