Locked out

Wed, Jul 1st 2015, 10:57 AM

One day after hundreds of Baha Mar workers were sent home indefinitely, scores of Chinese and Bahamians employed with China Construction America (CCA) said they were barred from entering the property yesterday under the threat that they would be arrested.

Workers said the resort is the last hope for many unemployed Bahamians and with thousands of jobs still hanging in the balance, they warned that there will be unrest in the country if the government and Baha Mar officials do not resolve the matter soon.

“If they don’t do something there’s going to be a riot,” said Keyo Smith, a construction worker.

Baha Mar filed for bankruptcy on Monday afternoon and advised the majority of its 2,000 employees not to return to work until further notice.

The company said it will keep the employees on the payroll for “a period”.

Employees of China Construction America, the lead contractor for the $3.5 billion project, told The Nassau Guardian when they turned up to work yesterday they were greeted by security officers, who reportedly informed them, “If you step on the property, you will get locked up”.

One of the workers captured some of the drama on her cell phone. The footage shows the security guards confronting a Chinese worker who was attempting to gain entrance. Baha Mar Senior Vice President of Administration and External Affairs Robert Sands confirmed that no one was being allowed on the property.
However, he said he could not speak directly to the situation involving the CCA workers.

The workers said the move to bar them without any notification was “insulting”.

Smith likened the situation to being hit by a car.

“That’s a slap in the head without you seeing it,” said Smith, who is a construction worker.

Asked what was next for him, he said, “We have to look for work or later on, start a riot.

“[We need to] go down Bay Street and tell [Prime Minister Perry Christie] to get it right.

“...If they don’t get it right, you don’t see what’s going on, this is a revolution getting ready to start.

“Many people don’t have bread in their fridge and in their cupboard. This was the last [hope] for people.

“Baha Mar was the last [hope] for people to get jobs... This is what people were depending on. If this doesn’t open then get ready because right now Nassau is going down the drain.”

Several Chinese workers also confirmed that they had difficulty getting in the building. The employees said the move adds to their anxiety over the future of their jobs.

Another worker, who did not want to be identified, said he learned of Baha Mar’s troubles from the media and came to work looking for answers.

“People are just confused,” he said.

“They want to find out what’s going on and when things are going back to normal. Every single employee was locked out.”

The worker, who is also in construction, said he and others were told to go home early on Monday because Baha Mar was preparing to fumigate the building.

He said he left around 1 p.m.

However, he said he now believes the workers were fed that story so that officials could get them out of the building quietly.

“They told us they were fumigating the building,” Smith interjected.

“We are the insects that they wanted to fumigate, to get out of the building. We are the roaches and the rats that they got out of the building.”

While Baha Mar has committed to paying its employees for a period while it tries to work out an agreement with its lender, officials have warned that failure to reach an agreement could result in job losses. Smith said it is unclear whether CCA workers will continue to be paid. He noted that the impact would be devastating if so many workers are out of work.

Smith said some people will likely turn to crime if they cannot find jobs.

“When there is no bread, a man will steal,” he said.

“No one is seeing God. They have the government as God. They put the government in the seat.

“They elected them. So if they don’t do their job right now it’s going to be problems because the nation is starving and [no one is doing anything].”

Baha Mar said its financial troubles are due to the repeated delays in opening the resort.

The $3.5 billion resort was originally expected to open in December 2014.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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