A MAJOR local trade union is taking issue with the Labour Commissioner over his response to an alleged walkout by representatives of a major hotel from a meeting to discuss a poll among the hotel’s workers.
A meeting between representatives of Royalton Hotel and the National Workers Union (NWU) called by the Department of Labour on Monday August 20, 2018 at the Department of Labour was aborted after a stalemate arose between the union and the hotel’s representatives.
The NWU says in a statement that “Pre Poll session, which was chaired by Mr. Ray Narcisse to discuss logistical arrangements for the holding of a Secret Ballot Poll among hotel staff employed with the company, took an expected twist.”
The NWU statement says, “Representatives of the company stood-up and made it abundantly clear that they will not continue to participate in the process and then walked-out from the Conference Room.”
The NWU says it “insisted that a date for the Poll should be agreed upon with or without the presence of the company, but Labour Commissioner Narcisse said he would seek the legal advice of the Attorney General.”
The NWU has described the action of the company’s representatives as “gross disrespect.”
The union also claims that “the Labour Commissioner was spineless in the process, as this matter has been outstanding for 10 months.”
The NWU says it “will be seeking an audience with the Minister of Labour” and will inform its branches of the outcome of that meeting.