Former candidate in the recent Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) elections Dave Beckford said growing frustration with the current union executive council has led workers at the Our Lucaya Resort in Grand Bahama to petition to sever ties with the union.

Mr. Beckford, who was unsuccessful in his bid to unseat BHCAWU President Nicole Martin in the February 26 elections, said the workers sent a signed petition to Minister of Labour Shane Gibson nearly three weeks ago.

Mr. Beckford said the workers are seeking to join the Commonwealth Union of Hotel Service Allied Workers (CUHSAW).

“They [the workers] are frustrated that they are not receiving adequate representation from the BHCAWU,” he said.

“They have not had an industrial agreement for more than a year and their calls for a meeting with the executive council have gone unanswered.”

Mr. Beckford said that on March 21 the workers also sent a petition to the executive council requesting a copy of the union’s latest audit.

Though he lost the election, Mr. Beckford did receive the majority of votes among Grand Bahama workers.

“This is what I have said all along during the campaign that Ms. Martin and her team need to understand that to effectively negotiate on behalf of the workers, you have to meet with the workers,” Mr. Beckford said.

“Since winning the election, the executive council has yet to meet with its members and update them on what is happening.”

However, Mr. Beckford conceded that he has been informed that the union’s executive council has held departmental meetings.
He said the workers expect to hear a decision to their petition from the Minister of Labour in a couple of weeks.