After almost a year there is still no light at the end of the tunnel for former Hotel Tower workers who are seeking wages that are owed to them but they hope that a pending court action could protect their claims.
“I applied to the Marriott (Hotel) and hoping I’ll get to catch meh hand there ’cause it aint look like this money coming anytime soon,” a former employee of the hotel told Stabroek News on Thursday.
Some 67 workers are owed a total of $5,577,633 in wages, salaries and other benefits since last year May, when the hotel abruptly closed.
The hotel had said business had declined dramatically and that assets would be liquidated to pay what was owed to its employees. It, however, broke several promises to pay them. The Ministry of Labour intervened and has since taken the hotel’s management to court to secure payments for the workers, who have staged protests for their wages.
The next court date is set for later this month, Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle informed last week.
Sherwood Clarke, President of the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), which represents the former employees, had told Stabroek News that he had written to the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) seeking solidarity.
Minister of Labour Dr. Nanda Gopaul on Thursday told this newspaper that he did receive correspondence from the unions and that he has since replied. Further, he said he continues to monitor the current situation and hopes that the problem will be resolved soon.
“We are still involved and continue to assess what is happening. We have the owners in court but this was only after we exhausted talks with them. They had promised that they would pay after an impending sale but that fell through and the people were not paid,” Gopaul said.
“The thing is, even if we win this court case, with bankruptcy or the hotel not being sold, it’s right back to square one, ‘can’t be paid if there is no money,’ but it’s better you are owed,” he added.
The workers seem to agree with this view. A former worker, who is owed over $100,000, said he prefers for the hotel to owe him “in black and white” rather than being given verbal assurances.
“Look, is like this: If they have it in black and white and Salim [Azeez, former Hotel Tower managing director] know he owe we, then whenever he get money he bound to pay us. But with mouth alone, we ain’t certain of anything ’cause he can go back and say he never seh suh,” the man added.
Another former worker said she has not yet found out about labour union representation for her future employment at the Marriott but that she will as soon as she begins working because she wants to be assured of benefits. “I ain’t mekking this mistake two times. I waiting to get in and then I will begin asking about what all we will get and if any arrangement gon’ happen if them and all flop,” she said.
