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Workers at Buccament Bay Resort, on Wednesday, entered a sixth consecutive day of protest over unpaid wages.

They say that they have not been paid for more than two months and will not return to work until they are paid all outstanding sums.

The striking workers say that the management of the resort is yet to say anything to them about when they will be paid.

Resort manager, Gailene Collins-Crick, had nothing to say when iWitness News approached her for a comment as she was entering the resort on Wednesday.

The workers say that the situation is affecting their ability to provide for themselves and their children.

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Workers sit among trees to escape the scorching sun as their protest moved into day six on Wednesday. (IWN Photo)

The workers have not been paid notwithstanding the efforts of the Labour Department and the Minister of Labour Camillo Gonsalves, who intervened on Monday.

Labour department officials, on Monday, met with the management of the resort, who is said to have made a call to Dave Ames, head of Harlequin property St. Vincent, owners of the resort.

One employee who said she was in the meeting, said Ames promised to pay his staff within two weeks.

She said the labour minister told him that this was unacceptable since the resort has made many similar promises in the past and that any promise to pay within a particular time should be made in writing.

Buccament Bay Resort opened in 2010 as a five-star establishment, but guests say that the current situation at the resort has not lived up to their expectations.

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Workers on strike sit at the entrance to Buccament Bay Resort on Wednesday. (IWN photo)

iWitness News spoke to a British couple who had paid 3,000 British pounds for a two-week stay at one of the villas.
They thought they were getting a deal but got more than they bargained for when the sewer system dumped sewage on the path in front of their room.

Further, the linen in the room has only been changed three times during their two-week stay.

The guests said that the situation got worse after the strike began, but added that their bad experience was not limited to the absence of workers on the resort.

The situation at the resort exists as Ames, a Britain born, naturalised Vincentian fled St. Vincent and the Grenadines in June as prosecutors swooped in on him on tax evasion and theft charges.

His lawyer has since written from England saying he is ill and cannot return to St. Vincent immediately for trial.

After three adjournments, his trial is now slated for February 2017.

3 replies on “Resort workers continue to strike over pay (+Video)”

  1. Mr. Chance, keep up the good work on this important issue and please try to find out what the villa occupancy rate is from non-striking workers which would tell us a lot about the resort’s viability during this key holiday season.

    My own search of reservations shows that villas of all types are available between December 17-31, not a good sign.

  2. On pp. 1- 2 of Tuesday, December 6 Searchlight newspaper, Burns Bonadie is quoted as saying that Dave Ames, with whom he and other officials had telephoned in England on Monday, will be sending the owed funds to pay the workers at Buccament Bay over the next two days because “he [Ames] had just won a court battle in Britain” which, I assume, is the action he took against his former accountants, Wilkins Kennedy, whom he has sued for 50 million pounds sterling. Some of these court deliberations were heard in St. Vincent earlier this year.

    But my careful search of the Internet has produced no evidence that a decision in that court case, or any other action with Ames’ name attached, has been reached of late.

    My opinion is that these workers will never be paid and that a resort that should never have been allowed to be built at this location by this man will soon be shuttered.

  3. Some time ago Julian Francis said if anyone has a problem getting money from the resort let him know and he would sort it out.

    At the time I referred to him as Mr Fix-It.

    So Julian old bean fix it for the workers now!

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