Hotel union says furlough should be last resort for Atlantis

Bahamas Hotel, Catering & Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) President Darrin Woods yesterday expressed disappointment in Atlantis, Paradise Island’s decision to place some of its workers back on furlough and said the union will file a trade dispute against the resort.

Woods said Atlantis has a certain process it is obligated to follow before furloughing staff.

“Their word is furlough, ours is rotation, which is the same thing. It’s supposed to be reduced days first,” he said.

“If the occupancy drops, then you work reduced days. If it continues, then you go to week on, week off. If that continues, then you go to furlough. People say ‘yeah, it’s the same thing’, but you know there is a difference. Yes, you will still end up there, but employees would end up there with some dignity.”

In its statement Sunday evening, Atlantis said the decision to furlough those staff members, from various divisions, was the result of lower than expected occupancy for January, low airlift into the country as well as a spike in COVID-19 cases in some of the resort’s key markets.

It added that those employees will only be furloughed for a few weeks as the resort expects things to pick up between February and March.

The furloughed employees came from various Food and Beverage outlets throughout the property, including Carmines, several near the waterpark and The Cove pool; they just returned to work last month after being furloughed for nearly nine months.

Woods also took issue with what he described as a lack of detail in Atlantis’ communication to the union.

According to the BHCAWU president, Atlantis did not provide the union with the number of employees to be furloughed nor exactly how long it will last.

“We need to know,” he said, “because when our members ask us, we can’t tell them what we don’t know.

“We don’t know the [number] of persons being furloughed. There are outlets that they’re indicating will have to close and then there’s an area they say they’re suspending operation.

“Well, the agreement says if you have an outlet that’s going to close, you have to give six weeks’ notice. In the absence of the notice, I believe there should be some compensation for it because you’ve taken the decision, because you have the power. The roster of employees falls within the purview of management.

“So, then you can say … that we now have to go into rotation.”

Atlantis reopened its doors last month, welcoming 2,500 of its staff members back for phase one.

In its statement, the resort said, “It is also not unusual for the resort to adjust staffing needs according to occupancy levels. Both team members and the union have been notified of this decision. Atlantis remains extremely optimistic about its February and March bookings and looks forward to The Cove reopening on February 11.”

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