thebahamasweekly.com - Dr. Minnis responds to "Sandals Resort debacle"

From:TheBahamasWeekly.com

Bahamian Politics
Dr. Minnis responds to "Sandals Resort debacle"
By The Free National Movement
Aug 21, 2016 - 8:57:14 PM

Nassau, Bahamas - Dr. Minnis, Leader of the Free National Movement (FNM), issued the following statement on the embattled Prime Minister’s poor handling of the Sandals Resort debacle:

“The embattled Prime Minister Christie and his PLP Government’s handling of Sandals Resort closure is an absolute debacle. Under the Prime Minister’s watch over 2600 Bahamians have lost their jobs at Baha Mar and Sandals within the last year. The complete lack of competence by The Prime Minister and his ministers in the handling of our precious tourism industry has caused our economy over 6,000 Bahamian jobs. Had they done their jobs properly both Baha Mar and Sandals would be open today.

“It is unbelievable that the owners of Sandals Resort would not speak with the Prime Minister and his PLP Government before closing their resort for major renovations. To proceed with millions of dollars in major renovations as Sandals Resort claims they must have talked with the Prime Minister and his Government. There are far too many questions the Bahamian people deserve answers to from the embattled Prime Minister. Did the Prime Minister know that Sandals Resort was going to close? Was the Prime Minister colluding with Sandals Resort in their decision to close the resort so they did not have to deal with the union? Is the Prime Minister in favour of this type of union busting in The Bahamas? What type of deals did the Prime Minister make with Sandals Resort?”

“The Bahamian people deserve better than a Prime Minister that will just sit idly as a resort in The Bahamas engages in union bashing causing the loss of at least 600 Bahamian jobs. The PLP is not the party for the Bahamian workers. An FNM Government will stand for all Bahamian workers and will not allow the type of union busting we are witnessing at Sandals Resort. We call upon the management of Sandals Resort to immediately rehire all the workers it laid off when they re-open in October and immediately reengage with The Bahamas Hotel Maintenance and Allied Workers Union.”