FREEPORT, Grand Bahama ﾖ After pushing for almost two years, officials of the Bahamas Gaming and Allied Workers Union have still not been able to reach agreement with the Royal Oasis Resort on a new industrial contract.
Thereﾒs no telling on when the dispute would be resolved.
Labour Minister Vincent Peet said Monday he has not put a time limit on when the protracted talks must be resolved.
Meanwhile, Gaming Union President Dennis Britton questioned the ﾓrelationshipﾔ between government and the Royal Oasis Resort, and recently accused the Ministry of Labour of willfully refusing to make the resort comply with the countryﾒs labour laws.
Minister Peet told the Bahama Journal the hotel is now challenging his recent ruling, which in effect would have required both parties to return to the bargaining table to continue contract negotiations.
Earlier this year, Royal Oasis management attempted to have the unionﾒs recognition revoked under section 43.3 of the Industrial Relations Act that permits employers to challenge the representation of a union if an industrial agreement is not signed within a 12-month period.
The move angered union leaders, who called on the government to repeal that section of the law, saying it contributes to ﾓunion busting.ﾔ
Management also challenged the Gaming Unionﾒs recognition, claiming it lost its support at the casino, because many of its members left the Royal Oasis to work at the new Isle of Capri casino.
Last month, Minister Peet ordered both parties back to the table after he rejected the resortﾒs challenge and re-affirmed that the union held the support of over 80 percent of workers at the property.
But he said Monday, ﾓI think the law will have to take its course. The whole nature of the law in the Bahamas is that groups can challenge to see if they agree with the Ministerﾒs ruling and Iﾒm told thatﾒs whatﾒs happening now.
ﾓAnd so if they (management) want to challenge we are a democratic country. Thereﾒs something called due process and once that is exhausted whatever is just and fair and legal will take place.ﾔ
Mr. Britton took issue with Minister Peetﾒs comments, pointing out that current labour laws do not permit the employer to challenge the Ministerﾒs ruling in such a case.
Lloyd Cooper, 2nd vice president of the union insisted Monday that the government is allowing the talks to ﾓdrag onﾔ because it does not truly want unions in the countryﾒs gaming sector.
Mr. Britton said the longstanding talks stalled on the issue of pay increases for casino workers.
Since the talks began, the union successfully took a strike vote and held numerous demonstrations against the casino.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Britton called the government ﾓlackadaisicalﾔ in its handling of the ongoing dispute, a statement Minister Peet said was false.
Some sources close to the dispute wonder whether government partnerships with the resort – such as its recent charter agreement with Bahamasair – have an impact on how alleged abuses by the resort are handled.
Minister Peet insisted that the resortﾒs recent challenge is a product of a ﾓfree society.ﾔ
Mr. Britton also re-iterated that the union is free to strike at any time.
ﾓWe have a legal strike vote,ﾔ Mr. Britton pointed out. ﾓAnd we will do all that is in the parameters of the law to [bring about] an industrial agreement with the company.ﾔ
