The Court of Appeal (COA) yesterday upheld decision made by Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett, forcing the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) to cough up some big bucks in restitution.

Earlier this year, the chief justice ruled that the union hold its elections by February 28 and pay ‘significant’ court fees.

At the time, BHCAWU President Nicole Martin argued that her tenure would not end until this year.

However, her opponents held firm to the view that having cast their votes more than three years ago, it is beyond time to do so again and the chief justice agreed.

Ms. Martin retained her post as president and filed an appeal to the COA to overturn the Chief Justice’s ruling.

But on Tuesday, the COA upheld the ruling.

Dave Beckford, who lost to Ms. Martin for presidency, yesterday told the Bahama Journal he is happy the court process is over, adding that the entire thing was just “a waste of time and money for the union.”

“It’s going to be an extra cost to the union because veteran Queen’s Counsel Harvey Tynes failed to file an appeal record and do a number of things,” he said.

In an interview with The Journal, Ms. Martin meantime admitted she was disappointed with the high court’s decision, but said in no way does it throw a monkey wrench in the union’s plans.

“The only thing we really wanted to have happened would have been the portion where costs were levied against the union and we were not properly before the court,” she said.

“We’re going where we’ve always been going. We’re dealing with business of the union. We just wanted to ensure that the funds of the union would not have been paid in an action where the union was not partied. As far as the hotel union is concerned, we’ve never stopped doing the work.”

Both Ms. Martin and Mr. Beckford have assured that they will work tirelessly over the next two years to secure victory in the union’s 2015 elections.