City Market workers were locked out of the Sea Grapes Shopping Plaza location yesterday and told by a security guard to report to the Harbour Bay location for work, several of them told The Nassau Guardian yesterday.
The ire built up as more and more of them reported for work only to find out there was no work to report to at their assigned store.
They said executive management did not let them know that the store would be closing, nor where they should report to yesterday morning.
"They need to inform the employees what they will do with us," said stock clerk Evette Robinson.
"They are not giving us any information on where we are heading, no meeting, nothing. It's not fair to us because we're being pushed around and up and down like yoyos.
"We're supposed to report to another store just by word (of mouth), nothing official from management."
However, management sent an official statement to the press Wednesday, stating that the South Beach and Sea Grapes Shopping Plaza stores would be closing temporarily.
The release also announced that City Market's stores in Freeport and Eight Mile Rock would be closing permanently.
"The position takes effect at midnight Wednesday, September 14, 2011," the release said.
"At the stores slated for renovation the company will be addressing infrastructure issues and the many challenges that have plagued the refrigeration system and other equipment.
"The renovations which have been described as a complete overhaul are not expected to conclude before the end of the year.
"City Market will also be converting the Lucayan, Grand Bahama, location to a 24-hour store in keeping with its New Providence 24-hour formats."
The release also gave directives for City Market's staff to report to other City Market locations. Those were the same directives staff told The Guardian they were not given personally by City Market executives.
"The staff complement at these stores have been redirected as follows: South Beach staff are to report to the Cable Beach store; Sea Grapes staff to the Harbour Bay store and staff at the Eight Mile Rock and downtown Freeport stores to the Lucaya store," the statement said.
"City Market appreciates the patience of its customers in this effort."
However, it is the staff who say they have run out of patience with the new owners of City Market. Bahamian businessman Mark Finlayson and other investors bought out the food store chain earlier this year.
Stock clerk for City Market's South Beach location Alberta Rahming said she simply wants management to give her the monies that are due to her so she can be done with the company. She said the management has strung the employees along for too long with no regard for them.
"He (Finlayson) hasn't earned my respect so I'm not giving it," she said. "We just want to move on, we're tired. We just want to move on, we want to go; enough is enough."
City Market now has only two locations left open in New Providence: Cable Beach and Harbour Bay.
Dairy and Frozen Food manager Kendra Bodie insisted employees wanted to hear from management yesterday.
"I feel as if we the employees have been slighted by our employers," she said.
"The employees here are hard working [and] dedicated. The employees give their heart and soul for the company and in turn get treated like this.
"When will you sit with us and speak with us?"

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