The head of the union that claims to represent Super Value Food Stores employees does not have the support of the majority of workers as required by law, the companyﾴs president claimed yesterday.
Rupert Roberts made his statement as the leader of the Bahamas Commercial Stores Supermarkets and Warehouse Workers Union, Elgin Douglas, continued to call for a boycott of the food store chain.
Minister of Labour Vincent Peet, meanwhile, said he planned to meet with Mr. Roberts on the matter today and intended to have talks with union officials in an attempt to resolve the dispute which has been escalating in recent weeks.
Mr. Roberts said, ﾓWe cannot stop our staff from joining unions, neither can Mr. Douglas make our staff join his union. This is illegal.ﾒ
Mr. Douglas has claimed that Mr. Roberts is breaking the law by refusing to negotiate an industrial agreement for the employees.
But Mr. Roberts said in a blistering three-page statement that Mr. Douglas has to first prove to the Ministry of Labour that 50 percent plus one of Super Value employees want to be unionised.
The law requires that a union get the support of the majority of workers at any establishment in order to represent them.
ﾓWhat Mr. Douglas is doing now is dividing the baby,ﾒ Mr. Roberts said. ﾓHe is inviting customers to leave his loyal dedicated union members in Super Value, and shop the competition. This could only lead Super Value to reduce staff and salaries which is counter productive to unions and to the Ministry of Labourﾴs philosophy.ﾒ
He added that Mr. Douglas has outlined a ﾓdeliberate diabolical plan of terrorism, hate and violence for the future, tormenting Super Valueﾴs staff and customers, especially as Christmas is approaching which is a time for love, peace and understanding.ﾒ
Mr. Douglas said Super Value employees want to have an industrial agreement in place, but he said Mr. Roberts has been frustrating that process.
But Mr. Roberts said that, ﾓIn 1992 Mr. Douglas informed me that I could write the industrial agreement myself; all he wanted was the staffﾴs union dues for Super Valueﾴs 500 employees at $40 per month, which is $20,000 a month, which is a quarter of a million dollars a year for nothing,ﾒ Mr. Roberts said. ﾓA quarter of a million dollars can provide gold taps for the union leader behind the gates, but nothing for our staff.ﾒ
Mr. Douglas has said that his union received recognition from the Minister of Labour in 1991 to be the bargaining agent for Super Value employees.
He said Mr. Roberts has continued to be uncooperative in efforts to negotiate an industrial contract.
But Mr. Roberts said in 1992 he signed a recognition agreement with the union that it did not honour.
He said the first obstacle was that the union had to appoint a shop steward in each Super Value location. Mr. Roberts said the union, however, was unable to find any employee willing to be an agent for it.
ﾓWe immediately gave the union and the Ministry of Labour three monthsﾴ cancellation notice of the recognition agreement as required by law,ﾒ he explained. ﾓOur staff presented the Ministry of Labour and the union with a petition stating that they were not in a union and did not want any part of the union.ﾒ
Mr. Roberts said last week, Mr. Douglas was standing ﾓillegallyﾒ at Super Valueﾴs door giving out flyers urging customers to boycott the stores.
ﾓIf the majority of our staff is members of Mr. Douglasﾴs union we would gladly join in negotiations with him in support of our staff. Instead, he takes a brutal bully bulldozer backdoor approach, which will not fly,ﾒ the Super Value president said.
Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
