150 employees at Our Lucaya accept voluntary separation packages
One hundred and fifty of the 400 employees at the Our Lucaya Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama have accepted Voluntary Separation Packages (VSEP), according to President of the Commonwealth Union of Hotel Services and Allied Workers Union (CUHSAWU), Michelle Dorsett.
In a recent interview with Eyewitness News, Dorsett said the employees have decided not to stay as this transaction from private to government ownership is made. She denied that those opting to leave had little confidence in the government’s ability to run a successful hotel operation.
“Some of them have been with the resort for 21,19 or 16 years and the law requires 12 years so they have their own destination and plans and some of them really want to move on,” she explained.
Those who plan to continue with government, she said, are confident that government’s plan will work.
“We know that this is only temporary and that government really did not want to have their hands in it, but it had to be done to allow economic movement to happen,” she said.
Last month, Director of Hutchinson Lucayan Limited, P.C. Koh, now former owners of the Our Lucaya Resort, wrote to employees informing them of the sale to government.
In the letter dated September 10, the employees were informed that the sale does not affect the terms and agreement of the contract of employment as the government has agreed to continue the employment of all staff.
Dorsett said the letter came as no surprise to employees as they knew beforehand what was taking place.
“We knew what government was doing so the letter only confirmed what was taking place,” Dorsett said.
In ordinary circumstances, the former employer would be responsible for severance packages however government officials said this was an extraordinary situation.
Loading ...
