Although over 600 employees at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort were made redundant last week Monday, many of the former employees, who showed up to the first day of the resort’s four-day job fair, expressed confidence that they would be re-hired.
Most of them have been employed by the resort for five years or more.
Arizona Rolle, a former dining room supervisor at the resort, said November would’ve made 19 years since she’s been an employee at the resort.
“I’m feeling good about it, taking a risk at this time. I’m feeling that hey, if they call me back I’m ready,” Ms. Rolle said.
Former employee Autreen Rose said, “It was a bad feeling, but today it felt much different, but today I feel positive that I will be coming back to Sandals.”
A former water sports manager, who did not want to be named, was there for just over a year.
“I mean basically I could’ve went anywhere, but I liked the position,” she said.
“That was what brought me back. Even though they have whatever going on, I didn’t feel a shake of it because I had something else to fall on at the end of the day so I didn’t feel discouraged at the end of the day or nothing.”
The resort closed on August 15 for a multi-million dollar renovation. Officials said the resort would be reopened in October.
Persons reapplying also told the Bahama Journal that despite the debacle at the resort, they reapplied simply because they need their jobs back.
The closing of the resort comes just weeks before the opening of the school season and many of the former employees have children.
Ms. Rose said she has three, two of whom are not in high school as yet.
Employees that were made redundant last week will get the first chance to apply in first two days of the job fair.
New applicants will have their opportunity on the last two days.
Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Obie Ferguson last week Friday admonished new applicants to deter from applying to all inclusive Cable Beach resort.
However, the employees said they will look for new jobs if Sandals denies them.
“If I [don’t get my job] back, I’ll just move on and look for something else to do,” a supervisor made redundant last week said.
“If they don’t, I can move on because my source is in God,” said Ms. Rolle.
“Persons may still be angry about it. Its nothing that I can do. God controls everything and let his will be done.”
“Nothing I can do, just move on. Something will break somewhere,” Ms. Rose said.
Labour Minister Shane Gibson last week assured that the majority of the employees made redundant will be returning to the resort after it closes.
Sixty of the employees were sent to the resort’s location in Exuma.
Employees were told to go to Christ the King Anglican Church to pick up severance pay cheques.
The resort was slapped with a summons to appear in court recently, after failing to recognize its workers’ union, the Bahamas Hotel Maintenance and Allied Workers Union (BHMAWU).