President of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, Darren Woods led a press conference on Wednesday where he announced that his union’s members will be taking action against employers for non-movement on outstanding issues, one being the promised increase in salaries.
Flanked by other union executives, Woods said, “the golf course, the laundry, the DC, Ocean Club, Marina Village. Coral Towers, Royal Towers, Cove and the Reef, Lyford Cay, Town Hotel and also the members at the Harbourside Resort we are calling you to action.”
Woods added, “the employers are taken advantage of the good nature of the members and have taking them for granted for too long. They have now widened their takeback to include the members in the non-tip category. They indicated to us that their position was it was the greater than for the tip and only yesterday we found out that as a result of the 3% increase that they gave to the non-tip that they want to take that back out of the 8%. Well we say it will be a cold day in hell first.”
The union president advised his members that they are to work to rule which calls for the cessation of the carrying out of duties beyond their job description. Woods said, “they will no longer hold two stations. If you’re asked to go to another station, you leave the other station empty. With that will also come the extra care that we are no insisting that our members give to the persons in the service area particularly. We want to make sure that you serve the guests with excellence. We want to make sure that you prepare those rooms with excellence. We want to make sure that the engineer who go into the room take the time that is necessary to prepare the product that is necessary for the guests.”
The hotel union drew attention to their grievances by demonstrating at the foot of the Sidney Poitier Bridge last week. The parties met on Tuesday but no resolution was reached.
