Twenty-one employees were terminated from the multi-million dollar luxury Bimini Bay Resort due to low occupancy levels.
The lay-offs came after difficult negotiations between Bimin Bay management and the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) regarding an industrial agreement for line staff workers.
Labour Minister Dion Foulkes told The Nassau Guardian that Bimini Bay had made a commitment to ensure severance pay was given to those laid off and that there would be no additional firings.
Obie Wilchcombe, MP for Bimini and West End said this was “very bad news” and that it was disturbing because The Department of Labour and the Investment Board had not been notified of the impending cutbacks.
The resort apparently did not have enough business to sustain the number of employees and has given no indication that those laid off will be re-hired when business picks up.
