Dion Foulkes - Minister of Labour accuses BCPOU President Bernard Evans of promoting social unrest and seeking to destabilize the government and the economy of The Bahamas

Unions promoting 'social unrest'
By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE
Guardian Senior Reporter
kdl@nasguard.com


Labour minister hits out over 'small Egypt' comment


Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes has accused Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Bernard Evans of promoting social unrest and seeking to destabilize the government and the economy.

It came after Evans on Tuesday threatened to turn The Bahamas into a “small Egypt” as a result of the government signing a deal with Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) to purchase a majority interest in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company.

“The security of thousands of Bahamian jobs depends on political and social stability,” Foulkes said in a statement released by the Free National Movement Communication Unit.

The labor minister urged Evans to withdraw his “offensive comment and apologize to the Bahamian people.”

But Evans said yesterday, “I will do no such thing.

“What I said was those persons in Egypt who rose up against oppression, against a dictatorial type of governance, were very peaceful in the beginning when they started. It was only [in] the latter days when the armed forces and/or proponents of (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak started to [have] confrontations with those persons that it became out of hand.”

On Tuesday, as he stood on the steps of the Churchill Building, Evans warned of industrial action.

“I see now the police are putting up barricades again as if they are preparing for animals, but the will of the people is the strength of the people,” he said at the time.

“I guess if The Bahamas is ready and if the government is ready to see a small Egypt, then they are going to get it.”

Yesterday, Evans added that by nature, Bahamians are very peaceful people.

“I have always been very cordial and very peaceful, so I don’t know why the minister would want to insinuate that we are trying to wreak havoc on the community or on this nation. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Evans said.

Blasting the “small Egypt” comment, Foulkes noted that many people were killed and hundreds injured in Egypt in recent weeks.

“To urge members of the BCPOU to engage in similar behavior in The Bahamas is unbecoming of a union leader,” he said.

Evans — who has been threatening industrial unrest for weeks — went a step further on Tuesday, apologizing to the Bahamian public for the disruption in services he said will come.

2/10/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

Baha Mar Chairman and CEO Sarkis Izmirlian Allays Foreign Worker Fears

Baha Mar Chief Allays Foreign Worker Fears
By IANTHIA SMITH


Clearing the air on the foreign labour component of his multi-billion dollar proposed hotel project, Baha Mar Chairman and CEO Sarkis Izmirlian claimed the situation is not as bad as it looks, as thousands of Chinese workers will not be in the country long.

In fact, Mr. Izmirlian said the whole labour issue surrounding Baha Mar has been totally misconstrued.

"It’s true that at the peak of construction we are going to have about 4,950 expat workers in The Bahamas, but that is only for a period of six months," he explained when he appeared as a guest on the Love 97/JCN weekly talk show "Jones and Co with host Wendall Jones on Sunday.

"Construction [will last for] four years. During the four years, the average number of expat workers is only going to be 1,700. So it is much lower than the numbers that are being put out there. But the best part is when construction is over and the expats go home, we are going to create 6,500 full-time high paying Bahamian jobs."

Initial reports indicated that the Chinese government proposed to hire 3,300 Bahamians during the construction phase of the Cable Beach project and 5,000 to 8,000 Chinese workers.

Government officials said this translates into five Chinese workers to every three Bahamian workers.

Recently commenting on the disparity, National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest said never has any government policy allowed a ratio of non-Bahamian to Bahamian workers on construction projects of this magnitude.

But according to Mr. Izmirlian, the plan is to create 4,000 Bahamian jobs during construction.

"When you compare the number of expats, the number of Bahamian jobs and the economic impact during construction it is really as not as it has been described in the press," he said.

The government is expected to bring a resolution to parliament tomorrow to determine the number of Chinese labourers required for the project, a move former Cabinet minister Pierre Dupuch calls "illegal."

He claims it usurps the constitutional power given to the government.

But the number of Chinese labourers is not the only issue Baha Mar officials face.

Whether the project moves ahead is contingent on Baha Mar resolving its debt with Scotiabank.

Baha Mar owes the bank some $200 million.

On Sunday, Mr. Izmirlian moved to allay any fears of his company’s inability to satisfy the debt.

"We’re committed to finding a solution with the bank. We are committed to moving this project forward for me, my family and for the benefit of The Bahamas. I don’t see that as a hindrance," he said.

"Again, it takes a little bit of time, but I think we’ve reached a point where we are ready. The government is ready to bring this to parliament. We’re ready to start construction, so hopefully over the next few weeks, we should be done."

When asked if he thinks the project has become political, Mr. Izmirlian said, "any project of this size would be."

"I hope that we can put the politics behind us because to me the message from the Bahamian people is loud and clear – they want to move on. They need jobs. The country needs it," he said.

"I can’t think of a downside to this project. It’s great to create a small hotel here in The Bahamas, but when you have this level of unemployment, this many children coming out of school each year, you need a big bang. You don’t need a promise of the future. You need it today."

Officials from the National Congress of Trade Unions of the Bahamas (NCTUB) recently threw their support behind the development, claiming they are satisfied the controversial project is in the country’s best interest.

NCTUB President John Pinder said his union also supports the number of foreign workers being drafted as, "we do not have the skill set to do this project on our own."

Mr. Izmirlian accepts that more training is needed.

In fact, he said very early after construction starts, Baha Mar will work with the various unions, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) and other schools to train Bahamians.

"We need to give them the skills so that when the hotel opens, they are ready to start," he said.

"It’s going to be a challenge to train people, but our goal is to train, train and train."

Baha Mar is projected to generate almost $15 billion in GDP, with more than 8,100 direct and indirect jobs, totaling in excess of $7 billion in wages over a 20-year period.

September 7th, 2010

jonesbahamas

Bahamas Blog International

Chinese Factory in The Bahamas?

Chinese Manufacturing Company Commits to Building a Factory in The Bahamas

Chinese To Build Factory in The Bahamas

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

Nassau, The Bahamas

20/08/2004

The Chinese manufacturing company, Jndeli, has committed to building a factory in The Bahamas, Minister of Financial Services and Investments Allyson Maynard Gibson revealed Thursday.

Jndeli, which manufactures luxurious Swarovski silver and crystal products already sold in The Bahamas, intends to create jobs for a significant number of Bahamians, according to the Minister, who spoke to the Journal from Shanghai.

She said the economic benefits to be derived will be tremendous.

“If we just think about the almost five million tourists we are going to have this year, if each of them spends just $20 or more, that’s $100 million more pumped into our economy,” she said.

“So imagine that impact on the economy, in terms of jobs.  Obviously setting up a factory is going to mean jobs.”

Government officials expect that the presence of Jndeli in The Bahamas will fuel widespread entrepreneurship as well.

“You’re talking about serious, serious entrepreneurship,” Minister Gibson said.

She added, “When you’re talking about souvenir production, you’re not just talking about persons creating and copyrighting their products, buy you’re talking also about people having to work to assemble them, making them.”

Prime Minister Perry Christie, who is on a state visit to China, has long talked about the need for there to be stronger linkages between tourism and manufacturing.  Mr. Christie has said that it cannot be acceptable for most of the dollars earned on tourism to leave the country to pay for imports.

It’s precisely the reason why government officials in China are elated that they have been able to lock down such deals like the one with Jndeli.

Minister Gibson termed it an “incredible success.”

 

Company officials, who have visited The Bahamas in the past, are expected to return in October to locate a site for their factory.  There has been no indication of which island they are likely to target, the Minister said.

She said the Chinese have also committed to sending master carvers to The Bahamas to pass on their technical know-how and have also agreed to send persons to The Bahamas to help train Bahamians in packaging fruit, vegetables and seafood.

“So we are moving toward the goals that the prime minister has set for us which is to enhance our souvenir industry, to tap into the significant tourism market that we already have and also in finding ways to do what Jamaica does and that is to maintain as much of the dollar as possible and re-invest it into our economy,” Minister Gibson said.

“This souvenir thing is very exciting,” she pointed out, adding that executives of Jndeli are all set to go.  “We’re looking at really unleashing the creativity of our souvenir producers.”

Chinese Investments in The Bahamas

Optimism About Chinese Investments in The Bahamas and Their Significant Impact on Jobs For Bahamians

Chinese Investments Pour In to The Bahamas

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

19/08/2004

Bahamians will feel the benefits of Prime Minister Perry Christie’s visit to The People’s Republic of China for decades to come, according to Minister of Financial Services and Investments Allyson Maynard Gibson.

Minister Gibson also told the Bahama Journal Tuesday night that Chinese President Hu Jintao has accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Christie to make a state visit to The Bahamas, although she did not indicate when.

She said the benefits that will result from Mr. Christie’s visit to China will extend well beyond the $30 million stadium Chinese officials have committed to funding in The Bahamas.

Minister Gibson added that the COSCO Shipping Company, which intends to be the largest shipping company in the world by 2010, has recently registered three of its ships under the Bahamian flag.

The company’s president has also proposed the expansion of the dry dock ship repair facility in Freeport, which would enable that operation to accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world, the Minister reported.

This would create a significant number of jobs for Bahamians, she said.

“We have every confidence that with Hutchison Whampoa, COSCO and CITIC in The Bahamas, more Chinese companies and investments will follow because of the confidence indicated by those companies in the government and people of the Bahamas,” Minister Gibson said.

The Bahamas is also expected to benefit in the area of tourism from stronger relations with the Chinese government.

Both the president and premier have committed to encouraging more Chinese companies to invest in The Bahamas and establish joint ventures with Bahamians, according to Minister Gibson.

She also said that the Chinese premier intends to designate The Bahamas a preferred travel destination for Chinese people.

As a result, Prime Minister Perry Christie is reportedly encouraging direct flights between China and The Bahamas.

Efforts are also being made to form a partnership with the Chinese so that more souvenirs can be produced in The Bahamas, said Minister Gibson, who added that the intention is to ensure that at least 50 cents of each dollar earned from tourism remains in the country.

“We already have four million visitors from the United States and Europe to support a significant souvenir and handicraft industry originated by Bahamians,” she pointed out.

“But now add to that the potential growth in the tourism sector from the Chinese market which we know will be coming on stream.  Imagine what that would mean, not only in jobs, directly in the tourism industry, but also growth in entrepreneurship and jobs created from that as well.”

She said a Chinese firm, known as NUTEC, is also working with the government to provide equipment that would be used in the scanning of containers.  Minister Gibson said this equipment would improve revenue collection.

She added that it would also help in the fight against illegal drugs and weapons as well as other banned goods.

In addition, Minister Gibson reported that government officials are in discussion with the Chinese to form partnerships between them and the College of The Bahamas in the areas of math, science and technology. 

Bahamian Union Workers Put on Alert for A Strike Vote Against Radisson Cable Beach Resort

Obie Ferguson, Trade Union Congress President claimed that the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas has “undermined” an industrial agreement signed last November

Strike Threat At Radisson

 

 

By Candia Dames

Journal Staff Writer

Nassau, The Bahamas

06/11/04

 

 

 

Trade Union Congress President Obie Ferguson said Thursday he may seek permission for a strike vote at the Radisson Cable Beach Resort and claimed that the Hotel Corporation has “undermined” an industrial agreement signed last November.

But Corporation Chairman George Smith said officials are being “very faithful to the terms of the agreement.”

Mr. Ferguson, who also heads The Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association, said the BHMA agreed to cancel an arrangement made under the FNM administration to grant the more than 200 managers and supervisors at the property a 7 percent raise and a $4,000 lump sum payment.

But the new contract contained no arrangements for salary increases.

“The sale of the hotel was about to happen and they put to us that the economic position affecting the Corporation was bad,” said Mr. Ferguson, who added that he agreed to the terms because he wanted to ensure that there was an agreement in place which would guarantee the workers proper compensation when the hotel is sold.

He told the Journal that the Corporation has gone ahead and “selectively” paid $100 to $200 per week raises to certain managers and supervisors.

“If you say there is no money, you can’t go and give some of the workers money.  Either you give it to all or you give it to none because it would create a problem.  If the company selectively decides to [grant raises], what it does is undermine the whole credibility between the employer and employee,” he said.

The Corporation said in a letter to Mr. Ferguson on June 1 it was willing to pay the workers a $500 lump sum payment (no payment date specified); a four percent salary increase in January 2005; another $500 lump sum payment in 2006 and another four percent raise in 2007. This arrangement would go two years beyond the life of the present contract.

But with the hotel up for sale, Mr. Ferguson said this arrangement makes no sense.

“This is to undermine the Association and discredit and undermine the leadership of the Association,” Mr. Ferguson charged.  “I have put the workers on alert.  They are now awaiting my instructions.  They have rejected what the Corporation put to us. We totally reject it.”

Mr. Ferguson said he would like an arrangement where the Corporation would offer the workers the entire 8 percent in 2005; a $2,500 lump sum payment now and $1,500 upon the sale of the hotel.

“I think that would be a reasonable compromise,” he said.

Mr. Ferguson also said he intends to call an emergency meeting of the TUC which is not prepared to allow the Corporation to take the workers for a ride.

But Mr. Smith seemed puzzled that the matter has reached the press and appears to be escalating.  He intimated that Mr. Ferguson could very well be over-reacting.

“The Myers group which is the management company may have done some realignments or promotions that are certainly in their scope of authority,” he told the Journal.  “In any event, the Corporation has a good relationship with the Association.”

However, Mr. Ferguson said the Corporation and the government appear to be operating in a manner detrimental to Radisson employees.

He also said the Association is concerned about the future of these workers once the hotel is sold.

Prime Minister Perry Christie announced during his budget communication to parliament two weeks ago that the government is moving ahead with plans to sell the Cable Beach hotel and intends to obtain a net $10 million for the Treasury.

Mr. Ferguson found it absurd that the Corporation would make an offer that extends to 2007 when the government intends to sell the hotel any day now.

Mr. Smith said negotiations for the sale of the property are going well.

When asked how selling the hotel would impact workers, he said, “We are very mindful to protect Bahamian jobs as much as possible.  That is uppermost in the minds of the Corporation and the government.

“That is why I would have thought that any misunderstandings that now exist with the Association would have been addressed and discussed.”

He said the Corporation is not in the practice of micromanaging the hotel.

“We’re trying to focus on the bigger picture in terms of bringing about a successful conclusion to the negotiations,” Mr. Smith said.

The Clifton Property Bill to Establish the Clifton Heritage Authority Is Scheduled For Parliamentary Debate

The Official Opposition, Free National Movement (FNM) Party Parliamentarians Will Not Dispute The Core Issue of Turning The Clifton Property into a National Park 

Bahamas Government To Move On Clifton

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

15/01/2004

The large parcel of land on the western tip of New Providence known as the Clifton property has long been in limbo.

But that could soon come to an end.

As Members of Parliament prepare to begin debate on a bill to establish the Clifton Heritage Authority, the spotlight could again be placed on the controversy over the property that once ignited passionate debate that reached a fever pitch several years back.

Opposition Whip in the House Brent Symonette told the Bahama Journal Wednesday that there are questions that will no doubt arise regarding whether the Authority will be truly independent.

He said he expects "an interesting and heated debate."  But he noted that the opposition should not dispute the core issue - that is turning the land into a national park.

Five years ago, some members of the Free National Movement Government supported turning the area into a multimillion-dollar gated community with then Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson insisting that, "the development will bring a stream of returning tourists year after year...it will provide any number of other jobs in the tourism industry."

Since that debate died down, the property, which was the site of significant archaeological finds, has remained untouched.

Among other things, the Authority would lead the way in raising money for the government to pay for the land, which is estimated by some to be worth about $20 million.  The government intends to issue bonds in this respect.

In 1989, the then government acquired the property from Nancy Oakes, who now resides in London.

The matter has stretched three administrations, but Ms. Oakes, now ailing, never received payment for the land.

Her attorney, Paul Adderley, told the Bahama Journal Wednesday that before the present government came up with this new option to pay for the property, she had been interested in getting the property back.

"The Constitution provides for prompt payment," he noted.

Mr. Adderley also pointed out that Ms. Oakes "is not as rich as people think she is" and he intimated that the payment would be long overdue.

Establishing a national park at the Clifton property would be a fulfillment of a Progressive Liberal Party campaign promise.  In fact, Mr. Symonette believes the debate in parliament will turn into a "political football."

In early 1999, the PLP, while in opposition, joined the tide of strong resistance to the Clifton Cay development proposed at the time.  Prime Minister Perry Christie, while in opposition, said he believed that the development would have placed in foreign hands far too much of the extremely scares natural resources that exist in New Providence.

Mr. Christie said he believed that the government should have retained the full 600 acres of land in trust for the Bahamian people.  The portion of land that would be under the Authority's control would be 208 acres.

"If the government can raise $20 million to fund the cost of a new bridge to the Sun International Resort (now Kerzner International) it can surely apply the same ingenuity to raise a lesser amount of capital to hold the Clifton Cay property in trust for present and future generations of Bahamians,"  Mr. Christie told the Bahama Journal in February, 1999.

American investors, James Anthony and James Chaffin, were in 1999 pushing a plan to turn Clifton into a $400 million gated community, a proposal that was so strongly opposed by some Bahamians, the investors soon packed up and left town.

Now, Clifton appears to face future persons who had opposed the development had been pushing for.

The bill before parliament would give the Authority to be established the power to "hold, manage, maintain, preserve, promote and develop [the property] as a national park and historic cultural heritage site."

The Authority would also enter into archaeological and other joint ventures with persons and entities of international and unimpeachable repute.

It would no doubt be a bit of a victory for the Coalition to Save Clifton Cay, which has quieted since debate on the property fizzled, but, according to its leader, has continued to review developments regarding the property.

Vice President of the Senate Dr. C. B. Moss, who helped form the Coalition several years ago, said the group supports the bill, but has some "minor" concerns.

But Rev. Moss added, "We think that the spirit of the proposed legislation would provide adequate protection for what we want to see there."