FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Hotel union members were this morning still awaiting official confirmation that a dispute involving salary deductions would be settled in full by the Royal Oasis Resort, the union’s Second Vice President Lloyd Cooper told the Bahama Journal today.<\/P><\/p>\n
Union leaders alleged that the resort misappropriated nearly $430,000, resulting in their members being close to five months behind in insurance and personal loan payments.<\/P><\/p>\n
“It has been brought to our attention that the banks, in which the workers have their mortgages, have given notice that homes and cars would be re-possessed,” Mr. Cooper said.<\/P><\/p>\n
“In the case of the National Workers Coopeartive Credit Union, $429,020.55 is owed. The members have a Christmas Savings Programme with the credit union and will not be paid during the Christmas because of non-payment by Royal Oasis.”<\/P><\/p>\n
According to Mr. Cooper, the Royal Oasis Resort also owed close to $85,000 in union dues and Employee Aid Fund payments to the union.<\/P><\/p>\n
“As a result of this, we continued to pay sick payments and death benefits to our members without receiving a dime from the Royal Oasis,” Mr. Cooper added.<\/P><\/p>\n
This is not the first time such charges had been levied against the Royal Oasis Resort.<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Cooper maintained however, that this latest alleged action was the worst of such incidents on the part of the resort.<\/P><\/p>\n
“We are asking for the intervention of the government to have David Buddymeyer removed completely from The Bahamas. He is not what we would call a good investor and he is no good for The Bahamas. And it is a criminal offense for an employer to take its employee’s monies and do with it as they see fit.”<\/P><\/p>\n
Mr. Buddymeyer is president of the Driftwood Group of Companies, which operates the resort.<\/P><\/p>\n
Shiela Demeritte, a shop steward made her own allegations against Driftwood.<\/P><\/p>\n
“I have been working at that hotel for over 20 years and in times past I never had problems with my loans. But ever since Driftwood took over our monies weren’t being paid out. I went to management after I found out that my insurance has lapsed and they told me they would be getting back to me.<\/P><\/p>\n
“I have a very bad problem with my eyes and as it stands right now my health and life insurance are all lapsed and I have to pay for everything by myself when over $40 per week was being deducted from my salary for insurance.”<\/P><\/p>\n
Royal Oasis employee Enid Johnson, said, “The bank called me last week to say that I was four months behind in my payments.”<\/P><\/p>\n
“I am a single mother with three children to take care of, and if I am taking home a blank cheque every week, I want to know why my payments are not being made. The question is, where is my money?”<\/P><\/p>\n
Hotel union leaders further complained that the resort would not be able to pay Christmas bonuses to its workers this year, citing financial constraints.<\/P><\/p>\n
They allege that foreign evaluators known as “spotters” were still being employed by the resort and were continuing to cause problems for workers at that property.<\/P><\/p>\n
On November 4,in a letter addressed to management at Royal Oasis, the union called for the removal of foreign worker Lex Hollander, who they claim had been “dehumanzing” Bahamian workers.<\/P><\/p>\n
On Friday, a Royal Oasis public relations representative told the Journal that the current financial dispute between the union and the resort could be resolved as early as today.<\/P><\/p>\n
Several phone calls made to management of the Royal Oasis Resort were not returned up to press time.<\/P><\/p>\n
By Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal<\/B><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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