100 jobs at Hilton Trinidad hang in balance

PHOTO COURTESY HILTON TRINIDAD
PHOTO COURTESY HILTON TRINIDAD

Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre workers may start the New Year on a grim note after attempts by its union to the save jobs of almost 100 workers were not fruitful.

On Tuesday the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) held a meeting again with the hotel’s management to find ways to mitigate against temporary lay-offs which take effect from January 4.

CWU’s head Clyde Elder said the union had been trying to get information from the St Ann's hotel to make a better-informed decision on behalf of the workers, but there was no co-operation.

The hotel, he said was still not providing the union with any data, financial or otherwise, but has indicated that it was operating at a 67 per cent loss.

He said the company has only said assistance from the government has ceased, but the CWU was still at a loss as to what that assistance was.

“We engaged in discussions and again requested from the hotel the information that guided their decision, but we were still being denied. They blatantly said they were not going to give us the information.

“If we knew what the hotel was facing, then we can make a better proposal, even a reduction in salaries, but because they have not been sharing the information, it is difficult for us to state our position, which could help the hotel and the workers.” Elder told Newsday on Wednesday afternoon.

He said several proposals were put forward at a meeting on Wednesday which lasted nearly two hours, but pending a response from the hotel late on Wednesday afternoon, only then would the union be able to determine its next move and that of the workers.

But he said, “We remain hopeful that with continued dialogue we can find a solution that all parties can live with. We indicated to the company that after meeting with the workers we were willing to implement the use of vacation leave to mitigate against the impact of the temporary lay-offs.

“We proposed a number of options and were willing to explore other options, one of which was the rotation of staff during the period of the temporary lay-off, so that no category of workers would feel the brunt of it or use fringe benefits to keep workers employed.”

Elder said the union was only told on Monday of the decision by the state-owned entity to temporarily lay off the part-time workers, some of whom have been employed there for over 25 years.

In March, during the intense covid19 health measures, the hotel cited a decline in occupancy which resulted in its not being able to sustain its operations and payments to staff.

It offered several options to staff, which included:

The continuation of vacation leave and the utilisation of 2020 entitlements. It said if that leave expired before April 1, 2020, and the worker did not wish to return to work, the temporary lay-off would take effect at that point with no pay.

Utilisation of the remainder of vacation and then an agreed salary reduction of 75 per cent. If this option was chosen, the worker would then be required to work one week (or its) equivalent) per month and might be required to perform duties not in their current job description.

Cease any vacation/no-pay leave and agree to a reduction in salary/work schedule by 75 per cent from April 1-31, 2020. If this option was chosen, the worker would then be required to work one week (or its equivalent) per month and might be required to perform duties not in their job description.

Evolving TecKnologies and Enterprise Development Company (eTecK), which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), which has a lease arrangement with Hilton, said several initiatives were implemented to attract business, but the hotel still has not recovered.

In a media release on Wednesday, it said, “The government through eTeck is aware that Hilton has been operating in a challenging financial environment and was able to provide some support to employees to help mitigate against the economic pressure that would have been experienced through this difficult time.

It pointed out that the government owns the building through e TecK, but added, "However, Hilton has leased the property and manages the operations of the hotel. Under normal circumstances, it is the business practice of the hotel industry to match staffing levels with that of business activity. eTecK is aware of Hilton Management’s decision to implement temporary adjustments in staffing levels at this time to ensure the sustainability of the hotel.”

It further noted that the hotel had taken cost-cutting measures to sustain its operations, such as salary cuts for heads and executive management, reducing outsourced personnel, re-negotiating the costs of all essential service contracts and eliminating all external marketing services and contracts.

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"100 jobs at Hilton Trinidad hang in balance"

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