Up Front
The Beach Club saga continues...
Beach Club's Ernie Smatt
The drama surrounding industrial actionat Beach Club Hotel and Dive Resort took a new twist on Tuesday,11th December, when the 34 employees who were dismissed just theSaturday before, turned up to collect their final pay chequesfrom the hotel's accounts office, as they were advised to do.
They were given their pay envelopes, in which was a form letter,written on their behalf to the hotel's management, asking fortheir jobs back at the earliest opportunity, and apologising forhaving anything to do with the National Alliance for Cayman IslandsEmployees (NACE)-led strike and demonstration last week outsidethe Seven Mile Beach property.
The letter, addressed to the Manager of Beach Club's parent company,Cayman Resort Hotels, reads: "I wish to re-apply for my jobwith you. I apologise for taking part in the demonstration. Ihave no job complaints. I do not believe I was properly informedby NACE. I am willing to return to my job as soon as possible."
Should they agree to sign that letter, they would next be requiredto sign a new contract with the company, agreeing that they wouldnot be paid "from the 6th December, 2000 to the date of yournew employment, as you terminated your previous employment bywalking off the job."
This was also contained in a letter from the hotel, indicatingthat it had "considered your application to return to workon the basis that you were misled by NACE in participating inthe demonstration; that you have no job-related complaints. Weare prepared to re-employ you," it stated and outlined thebases on which this would be done.
Those accepting the re-employment were also expected to agreeto a 90-day probationary period, during which their employmentcould be terminated with 24-hour notice, and the only compensationbeing that which was due them from the date they were hired tothe date they were fired.
"All benefits, such as severance pay, which previously accruedprior to your terminating your employment with us on the 6th dayof December 2000 will not be reinstated," the new agreementreads.
On 6th December workers at the hotel went on strike to back demandsfor payment for overtime work and improvements in wages and workingconditions.
Gary Hutton, who was employed by the company as the EntertainmentCoordinator for two years and who was among those fired, sayshe will not sign any such agreement and that neither was he interestedin taking back up employment with the company. "I will notreturn to the plantation to serve massa", the young Jamaicansaid.
Mr. Hutton said that as far as he knew, many of his co-workerswho were also fired feel the same way and are not interested inbeing re-employed by that company. He said he knows only of oneperson who is back on the job - an employee whose father and theowner are friends.
Carleen Lee, a former Front-desk receptionist at the Beach Club,said: "I'm not really interested in going back there. I haveno reason to sign that letter."
NACE Secretary, Dr Frank McField said none of the hotel's formeremployees will sign the letter. "Mr Smatt (principal of CaymanResort Hotels) just needs to sit down and discuss the grievances.That's what's necessary," he said.
Meanwhile, the dismissed workers have filed complaints of unfairdismissal with the Labour Board, and with the help of the union,are seeking alternative employment.
The union will hold a fund-raising Christmas party on 16th Decemberto help support the workers, and will highlight the circumstancesof their industrial action in a two-hour television discussionprogramme, 'Public Eye' on 14th December.
NACE says it has also asked the Immigration Board to considergranting work permits to those persons who can find employmentin the Cayman Islands.
The majority of Beach Club's ex-employees are Jamaicans who wererecruited in their home country by an agency purportedly ownedby the hotel's principal, Mr. Ernie Smatt.