NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) President Darrin Woods has confirmed 180 employees from Club Med Columbus Isle on San Salvador have been terminated.
The resort previously intended to reopen in December 2020, but last month pushed that date back to December 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to Woods, the resort chose to let the employees go and pay them severance as a result of the uncertainty as to when it will be able to reopen.
Rum Cay, Cat Island and San Salvador MP Philip Brave Davis in a statement on Friday called the news “disappointing”, but said it “came as no surprise”.
“The government was duly notified of the hotel’s deferred opening until December 2021 and the connected reasons,” Davis said.
“Further, they could have anticipated this eventual furlough and moved proactively to prevent this devastating blow to the economy of San Salvador.”
He added: “I again call on the government to urgently address and resolve the issues that are preventing the reopening of Club Med.
“This is extraordinary negligence and incompetence on the part of the prime minister, who claims to be leading the way in reopening the country’s national economy.
“This inaction by the government has deepened the suffering of our people and further weakened the economy of San Salvador. This is totally unacceptable.”
