Paradise Island, Bahamas: Breaking news now coming into Bahamas Press from Atlantis Resorts today is confirming that managers at the resort have been advised with IMMEDIATE EFFECT, to accept a two week suspension of their labour WITHOUT PAY!
One manager contacted Bahamas Press angered by their instructions, suggested that, “This is the height of UNFAIRNESS now being committed by the resort.”
Members of the WUTLESS Media weeks back boasted a LIE that there was a busyness at the Atlantis Resort following the announcement that Miss Universe will be hosted at ATLANTIS in August of this year. One WUTLESS reporter went far and suggested that “scores of new employment would begin for workers terminated at the resort just before Christmas last year.”
However despite the season of Spring Break, and the coming of the Miss Universe Pageant to the Bahamas, one WUTLESS MEDIA spun more LIES in its WEB OF DECEPTION FOR INGRAHAM, and suggested Tourism was up by 8%. When even the Minister of Tourism noted in the Senate that land arrivals were down by 18% in January.
The news now coming out of Kerzner’s Resort tells the true picture of the challenges facing the tourism industry. No wonder the ‘TOILET PAPER’ is keeping its few readers busy with Sir Lynden for the past two weeks now. DEFLECTION, DEFLECTION, DEFLECTION!!!
In a Feb. 11th post on this website, Bahamas Press asked the question, “Will More Workers Go Home At Atlantis?” (https://www.bahamaspress.com/?p=2889). The post was sparked after Bahamas Press got word that Atlantis was in LOCK-DOWN talks with the Prime Minister Ingraham and the Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes. Within hours after our post, the president at the resort was up on ZNS suggesting that this is not the case, however he did not rule out the possibility of more layoffs at the resort.
MANAGERS AT ATLANTIS’ ARE NOW BEING SENT HOME WITHOUT PAY FOR TWO WEEKS. BOY INGRAHAM YOU BETTER GET THAT UNEMPLOYED BENEFIT READY QUICK, CAUSE LOOK LIKE MORE BAHAMIANS HEADED FOR THAT UNEMPLOYMENT LINE!
WHERE IS THAT WUTLESS MEDIA NOW? THEY HAVE NO SHAME!~
Yeah, I am through debating this Atlantis thing and I apologize if I was wrong in my original assessment. People just need to put their faith in God and everything will be alright.
Morehands what you have said is so true.
Joe Blow a very good friend of mines whose advice I normally cherish was just on the phone explaining the same thing to me. She was telling me that at least Atlantis is trying to find ways and mains to keep these people employed by just sending them home for just 2 weeks without pay rather than sending them home for good. She said in everything you have to show God appreciation. When I really took everything into consideration, I guess you both are right. I just wish they did not have to touch those people monies and were able to cut back on something else.
Question: Has there been any outcry from the workers who were given the two weeks off without pay? So far, NO. Was there any major public complaints from the 800 who were terminated the other day and received their nice packages? So far, NO.
We beat up our mouths about things we have absolutely no business in or are not fully aware of the ins and outs. I have had one of the “vacationing” supervisors say to me the other day – “boy I so glad they ain send me home. It ain ga be easy but I just hope I have sumin to go back to”
Paul Moss was right. It is a Catch 22. Take your pick BP bloggers.
By the way, Atlantis jobs website is advertising more than 25 available positions (some with multiple vacancies). One post was even added today. Jobs ain hard to find in the Bahamas. Its finding the qualified people to take those jobs that is the problem.
Kim: Sol Kerzner has employed a lot of Bahamians. He has been generous with bonuses, awards and constant training programs for our people. He and his sons have made large contributions to programs in our schools and have contributed to the upkeep of many of the parks on this island. He keeps the surroundings of his establishments green, clean and pristine for our pleasure as well as for the tourists. The area surrounding the entrances to the new bridge are kept up by his efforts. He has donated to many of our Bahamian charities and institutions. He is an ideal corporate citizen and worthy of our respect and gratitude. The Bahamas is only one of his businesses in the world. With the Global financial crisis, he is experiencing hard times too. Dubai has turned out to be a white elephant and is struggling to stay afloat. While he has an obligation to the workers at Atlantis, he also has an obligation to the investers and shareholders. Loyalty works both ways. I doubt any of us would like it if his loan obligations were called because then there would not be 2500 off without pay for 2 weeks but there would be 9500 out of work plus all those who supply the various outsourced services. We really have to begin looking at the total picture.
Russell Johnson even though I have the most respect Joe Blow and I usually understand his point of view, this is one thing I am having a hard time agreeing with him on, because I feel our government have bended over backward to please the owners of Atlantis and they have turned around and slap the Bahamas Government and the Bahamian people in their faces. I could be wrong, but I just believe Atlantis should be able to do better than this.
Joe Blow :Atlantis has loan obligatons to meet. Is it better to ask for a two week concession from some of its workers or continue on and risk the loan being called and be forced to close the operation and force everyone out of a job? Hard questions! Hard decisions! Hard times!
JOE BLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are one apologetic black man or are you a breadfruit?Always have something stupid to write.With all the concessions that the Govt gave Atlantis this latest edict is bullshit.What are the employees to do?Did the Govt agree with these arrangements when they lunched at PI a few weeks ago?Of course you Joe Blow have an answer for everything.Someone is trying to put us on our knees so all uncle Toms need to hide bcos we are not going back to Egypt.
@Omar Archer Sr.
Also, I would rather commit myself to a 30 year mortgage rather than pay a landlord’s mortgage for a lifetime. You have to outgrow mummy and daddy’s roof at some point. Most Bahamians did not inherit property, so there has to be a start somewhere!
@Omar Archer Sr.
That is a very good point about employees and their spending habits, but with the prices of properties and other fixed assets soaring the way they are now, it is very difficult for those employees to make those purchases without the assistance of commercial banks. Think of how long that employee would have to save in order to make such a purchase. I highly doubt most of their wages would allow them to save $200 weekly, which would take 10 years to save $104,000. So to criticize them for not saving to buy property or other fixed assets without the assistance of commercial banks is quite harsh.
Atlantis has loan obligatons to meet. Is it better to ask for a two week concession from some of its workers or continue on and risk the loan being called and be forced to close the operation and force everyone out of a job? Hard questions! Hard decisions! Hard times!
ATLANTIS/TOILET PAPER KISS HIP CONNECTION!
Has anyone wondered why the Toilet Paper could not break the news about Atlantis sending home workers for two weeks, without pay? Well we have just discovered that the Toilet Paper has an arrangement with the property in printing publications, including the USA TODAY!
Bahamas Press broke the news of Atlantis sending home workers without pay for two weeks, and on yesterday the Tribune came out caring a story saying why Kerzner’s Atlantis is doing what we announced.
Now after seeing this their few readers should ask themselves, “Does the dutty toilet paper have the interest of the workers of this country at heart?” A BIG FAT “NO” SHOULD BE YOUR ANSWER!
Bahamas Press/Editor
Hi Omar I agree with you people in general needs to take more precautions on what they are spending their monies on. What these managers do with their personal pay cheques does not come before Atlantis. They need to pay these people and stop doing foolishness. Even if they only give them a percentage of their regular pay cheque, send the people home with something.
Economic apartheid in it’s truest form? I can vividly remember Atlantis releasing its financials two short years ago. The company profited some $500 million dollars…(net). Yet this very same company cannot pick up the slack for its dedicated employees in this time of need? $30 million on an opening ceremony in Dubai and they can’t help their Bahamian employees? My question is quite simple how many of their non Bahamian managers and executives were released during their staff cut-back exercise? Please people I am not racist I am just curious. On the flip side of this very coin, one must ask the question, How many present and former employees saved their monies to purchase properties and other fixed assets without the assistance of commercial banks? Many bought cars, jewelry, designer clothes, took expensive trips across the globe, committed themselves to thirty year mortgages and spent wildly thinking Atlantis was an extension of or similar to having a government job. So who really is to blame here? Atlantis, for wanting to protect its bottom line? or Those employees who failed to plan and lived for only today? We must be fair in arguing these important issues. I am down the middle on this one.
All these foreigners look like they want come over here and carry Bahamians for a ride. They have the money straight they just trying to see what all they can get away with in this country. They have monies to do what ever they want do; they should not do this to those managers, because those people have their families to feed. If they get away with this, it would be a disgrace!!
PAUL MOSS ON ATLANTIS…
Nassau, Bahamas. “Who will come to the rescue for workers in this country? How is it that Kerzner could ask/demand that workers take an unpaid vacation when the Employment Act is very clear that vacation time is to be paid for” said Paul Moss responding a story that Kerzner Management where asked by executives to forego pay for vacation time.
“Whilst I understand the shrinkage of the economy, we are talking about a company that spent in excess of $30 Million on the opening of its new hotel in Dubai just a few months ago and now they are hypocritical in asking staff to take a cut. It is setting the wrong example and is analogous to the big bonuses paid by AIG executives in a downed economy with money from tax payers” Moss said.
Moss continued, “The workers are now left in a catch 22 position because if they decline to forego the vacation pay, chances are they will be made redundant. This is tantamount to coercion and this too should be frowned upon. I now call on the Minister of Labour to look into this matter to ensure that those that refuse Kerzner’s invitation are not terminated”.
End Statement….
Russell Johnson: Ponder this; ” He who angers you, controls you.”
I knew it all along,the Marquis story is one to distract Bahamians from the real economic issues.Then to further take our eyes of the ball they confirm the oldest man in the Police Force even though they fired many ten yrs younger than him.If they are letting so many managers go every civil servant needs to be on their Ps and Qs bcos the Govt planning to let many of them go as well.And you Joe Blow are getting on my nerve by defending the indefensible.To everyone here Turnquest is on Jeffrey tomorrow afternoon 19/03 at 4:30 p.m 106.9 fm.I hope the punk will answer questions and not just speak into the mike without rebuttal.And by the way do you all think that the Govt is trying to cause civil disobedience by getting us riled up?British warships are already in the area of Turks Island.Ingraham you are wutless.
Here are a number of the instutitions that came to life under LOP’s govts. that were announced to the public by none other than our PM, HI himself at LOP’s Funeral in 2000:
1. Progressive Labour Laws.
2. The Parliamentary Election Act.
3. The National Insurance Board.
4. The Bahamas Mortage Corporation.
5. The College of the Bahamas.
6. The Archives Department.
7. The Bahamas Development Bank.
8. The Central Bank of the Bahamas.
9. The Bahamas Agricultural and Indusrtial Corporation.
10.The Bahamas Tourism College.
11.The Industrial Training Center (BTVI).
12.The Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
13.The NaTIONAL fLAG cARRIER Bahamasair.
14.The Water and Sewerage Corporation.
15.The Bank of the Bahamas.
16.The Government owned TV station ZNS…
Won’t you say that is quite a bit for a person whom FNMs say did nothing but corrupt and destroy this country?? How is it that these things didn’t come to an end when LOP was kicked out of office since he was so bad???
Like HI said, “LOP was a UNIQUE Bahamian and that no Bahamian present, past or in the future will ever come close to making the kind of contributions that he made!” Interesting, isn’t it?? HI said that we will never find a more progressive leader in this country!! WOW
Well, I hate to pile on, but again I blame Christie. When Shane refused his wrok permit, he should have been made to pick up his georgie bundle and go! But No, they weren’t strong enough and I don’t know what they were afraid of, cause if it was bad press, the Tribune will never support the PLP. It is an insult to Bahamians that for all these years they could not find a Bahamian replacement. We have tons of qualified Bahamians. So I say, you see Christie, you could have prevented all of this you could have made him leave.
We need politicians who are fearless, who are not afraid to break with the norm, not afriad to clean house instead of coming into power and continue the mess. This country is broken and we need a real innovator to fix it. I hope one of these days we find him or her.
To Wisdom: The only similarity “John” the racist has to “John the Apostle
” is his name and that he will be destroyed. To Nikki: I concur, these wutless papers & their editor are creating division, instead of seeing the post-60’s divide as a wound to be healed, they poured acid on it. We may be young and appear to be not concerned about our forefathers, but like my great-grama says, “that head ein big for nothing”, these younins’ deeper than you tink”.
The Tribune is trash, and belongs at the bottom of birdcages everywhere. And John Maquis belongs at the bottom of a lake with a cement block tied to his ankles.
BP you are so right when you say the Tribune is just deflecting and trying to create a diversion to take the people’s mind of off the downward spiral of the Bahamian economy because the FNM lacks answers and direction right now. This paper prints headlines to do two things 1)spin for the FNM 2)get a jolt in paper sales.
BP i would really like to konw what their weekly circulation is. We know they aint doing that well because they are now sharing production cost with the Guardian. If no one is buying their paper no one is reading their paper, and right now, hardly anyone is buy newspapers in general.
With more and more Bahamians going to the web for news and information, newspapers are an old dinosaur locally and internationally and with big newspapers closing their doors all over the world, we all know the Tribune has to be operating in the red as well. The Tribune’s owners have to be using its radio revenues to prop it up.
But these things are a sign BP that the Tribune doesnt have the punch she once had. how do we know? the headlines are getting more and more salacious and tabloid like. This is what they have to do to get people to buy their paper. She’s dying BP, she is dying.
To John M.
Mr. Tynes senior must have been deeply obsessed in “PINDLDISIM,” and his son (the Pilot) must have taken advantage of his father’s blindness in “PLP-ISM,” to bringing home $50,000 in cash. But as long as the son told his father it was a mission for “PING” he turned a blind eye. Shame! on Mr. Tynes senior, you have no shame! That just don’t sound right. But instead of “PING” dogs going after the Tynes, they try to kill the messenger “JOHN.”
However, do not be dismayed “John” even the Apostle John was destroyed for telling the truth.
It is good to be back! Recently I was just reading the various posts and contemplating..But I just want to Commend “Kevin McKenzie” for reminding us all of various “Milestones” the Bahamian peple have achieved thnaks to the “VISION” that Sir Lynden had!!!!!!! COB, NIB,BTVI,DEfence Force, even the Hotel Corp (which helped the workers stay in that industry)…Thanks “Kev” and most of ALL – to Sir Lynden’s family – “Those that may, can never destroy, TRUE legacy”….Thanks..
@kevin mckenzie
Well the Toilet Paper is going down in FIRE! For persons like us we stopped reading that Trash from Last year! I would not put .75ç on that toilet paper if it was FREE. But ya know McKenzie they have found a market in persons like yourselves.
BP
According to the Nassau Guardian 2500 Atlantis’employees were instructed to take two weeks unpaid vacation leave.Meanwhile the Tribune is obssessed with our Bahamian hero SIR LYNDEN OSCAR PINDLING calling him a non Bahamian well the Tribune is like the same fraction of the American media that claims that president Barack Obama is not a natural born American.Surely the Tribune must know that prior to July 10,1973 all persons born in the Bahamas were classified as British Subjects and the words Bahamian citizen came into existence after independence.It is my observation that whenever a black person has succeeded and conquered all the odds, efforts are made to belittle or negate such accomplishments.The Tribune claims that they are recording history yet no one living or dead in their various articles are claiming that they were present when and if Sir Lynden took or received illegal payments from drug smugglers.Not even Tynes senior who must now admit in his old age that his son was a drug dealer claimed to have seen Sir lynden take money from his son,however we do know that the Tribune once wrote numerous praises about CARLOS JOE LEHDER when he first came to the Bahamas and we know that persons in the fnm were his lawyers.To the PINDLING family i say thank you for the heroic service of your husband and father it was your father who built numerous schools and THE COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS to educate us.Independece,Central Bank,Bahamas Development Bank,BAIC,BTVI,Defence Force,National Insurance are all the off spring of Sir Lynden.Once again i say thanks !
It’s a real blessing for Paradise Island. Guess we all will have to wait and see what will happen. After august you be the judge.
Man you are right the ratings have been down for Miss Universe over the past few years ….But since The Donald has a lucrative contract with NBC he is able to tie this pageant in with his apprentice series that airs on NBC right now so it is all business ….Now for the Bahamas the commercial spots and all the hype that comes with such an event like the Today show promos and other NBC affiliates in the U.S and worldwide the Bahamas cannot pay for this ad time or coverage because even after the pageant is over and think about it worldwide you will here the following last night Miss so and so won the Miss Universe pa-gent that took place at The Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in The Bahamas….You cannot pay for that so it is a real blessing.
…lol…Jr. you could talk fool nah! I would not mind seeing The Donald up close and personal. You think he does comb his hair like that himself or somebody is actually style it for him? Anyway, I am very grateful that they have decided to host the Miss Universe Pageant here, they will need people to work the event and you will have a lot of international guess traveling here to see it (that’s revenue for the country). I also imagine that the government will be busy cleaning up the country to host this event, so we can make a good impression.
YOu mean you don’t want to see The Donald up close and personal Man O War? LOL. Thats two planeloads right there. One for Donald Trump and the other for his hair.
I don’t buy all this Hype from the Ministry of Tourism concerning the Miss. Universe Pageant. I mean who watches that show anymore? I haven’t watched it from the early 90s. I don’t hear much if any talk about it anymore.
American Idol is one of the most watched shows on TV now and it’s falling short lately. This seems to be a distraction for the Bahamian people away from real issues facing us. I dont buy it at all.
20 managers are being sent home for 3 weeks effective as of friday 20th March, 2009 according to my source.
oh and another thing… why isn’t that paper status individual at the tribune not on a plane getting his racist romp repatriated? how dare he come to this country and live a privileged life and then assassinate the character of the father of our nation! true or not, he has nothing to do with it. it’s a bahamian issue and a bahamian he isn’t. GET OUT AND STAY OUT AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! he’s hated in this country more than Blankenship and we all know what happened to him. if you hate black bahamians so much, why the heck are you here? all these foreigner want to do is take advantage of Bahamians then turn around and degrade us and call us dumb monkeys. i blame us though because we allow them to stay here. Bahamas for Bahamians!
well according to one of the managers whom i know personally, i understand it to be 3 weeks without pay. he was in the meeting and that’s what he told me yesterday effective as of this coming friday and he said that the hotel is extremely busy so he doesn’t understand how they could do this! anyway………… it’s a sad state of affairs that atlantis has the prime minister and the government by their testicles!
BP, I was hoping to see this on your site but since you don’t have it and Canesfins hasn’t been on in a while to talk about it, did you hear that that stupid *** Hubert is refusing numerous requests from experts in the financial services and legal fields to put Ryan Pinder on the team to represent the Bahamas to the UN so that we don’t end up on the US blacklist? Ryan is trained as a tax attorney in the US and is highly qualified and ranked in that field. He may be modest but a few people in his area sing his praises as one of the best ones out there and one of the only Bahamians even qualified in US Tax Laws. In fact, most attorneys here hire American lawyers to represent their clients in US tax situations. So we have one of the best right here and Hubert and his wicked dumb ass is refusing the services of Ryan because he is a PLP and will probably run against the FNM in the next elections.
Now tell me that ain’t some dumb foolishness. They playing politics again. Please BP, follow up on this one and Canesfins, do comment because we can’t let this one slip under the rug. The story is already out there on http://www.loweonline.com (Rick Lowe, big time FNM) and http://www.kenreddorsett.com (big time PLP). Put it on BP (big time erryting) LOL.
I agree with you on some levels. I don’t think we should physically do anything to Mr. Marquis I think that his status should be revoked and him evicted. However I think that some people are confusing free speech with maliciousness. Mr. Marquis is not practicing free speech he is rewritting history or attempting to in a way that is not responsible to freedom of speech. Using the words of eye witnesses as gospel when he has brought forth no documents pictures, tapes or anything else of that sort to my knowlege is irresponsible to free speech and therefore can only be the maliciousnes of a coward who was well alive and at the Tribue when Sir Lynden was alive and we heard nothing of all of this. The people who are supposed eye witnesses need to explain to the Bahamian people as well where they were during the 84 and 92 commissions of inquiry that both proved fruitless against Sir Lynden. We extended the hand of friendship to Mrs. Carron by buying her papers and to Mr. Marquis by letting him live and work here and at every opportunity they spit in the face of the Bahamian people and the part the really angers me is we do nothing about it.
It reminds me of the bend or break speech by Sir Lynden “I have always been concerned about this lack of soul in Freeport; the absence of honest concern for the human and social needs of people. I was so concerned in the days when I stood alone. I had hoped that an early change would have been evident by now, but have been severely disappointed. It is a fundamental part of my basic political philosophy that people are more important than things; that men are more important than machines. In this city where, regrettably, almost anything goes, where, promisingly, some economic opportunities have come to Bahamians, Bahamians are nevertheless still the victims of an unbending social order which, if it now refuses to bend, must now be broken.” Sir Lynden Pindling.
….LOL…Nikki, you sound like a psycho!!
Connie, as I wrote on a nother site before, a police and defence officer need to go to the Tribune, walk over Mrs. Caron or walk on her if they have to, grab Marquis with what ever belonging that he have in the office, take him to the airport and the next thing smoaking, (plane) put him on it and send the remainder of his things later.
If for only this time it would have been good if we were a country where if you were to say one bad thing against the government or any of its people, your body would be riddle with bullets or the body would never be found.
Just how he is brutal in his reporting, we need to be brutal with him. I say no more.
There appears to be something not “quite right”. How many managers were sent home for 2 weeks? What reasons were given for the suspensions? Some investigative reporting needs to be done here. Is it possible that some managers did not or would not comply with the policies of the executives; thus the 2 weeks off without pay? Could transgressions be involved here that ordinarily would have called for dismissal but the Company, due to difficult economic times, decide only to suspend? Find out all the facts Media!
It is times like these that you miss Sir Lynden because people Marquis would be on the first thing smoking’ out of here
Connie you are so right yes he would have been out of here and yes I really miss Sir Lynden and yes we have allowed this to take place in our country and therefore we are to blame.
Let’s look at this in contrast if someone in the United States would print that George Washington was a turn coat and that he sold the English the secrets of the rebels and that he caused the death of the soldier that was the witness to his treachery does anyone think that the writer of such hogwash would be glorified on a national stage in the United States or even if we go further in history as if someone would say that Martin Luther King Jr was involve in dealing drugs to inner city black youths at the time or was involve on the back end with crime and then caused some of his own people death and then go further to say that he was not even born in America but came there from another country ….does any one think here that such statements on either the late George Washington or Martin Luther King would be sensationalise as the crap being printed by this Marquis.
Mr Marquis has thrown down the gauntlet and the Bahamian people must send him a strong message that we will not stand for this crap and that we will not take it anymore I call for a boycott of the tribune a really strong one we must send a message to them this time.
Before I end there is a new site that is a mock Sim Bahamas government where you get to sign up as an MP and debate issues and pass laws and all of that stuff it is on Zeta Boards and it is very exciting and new if anyone wishes to sign up you can do so free of charge here is the following link http://s1.zetaboards.com/Bahamas_Government/index/….so if you wish to sign up and we can have a great time.
RB75 we have cause this on ourselves because we have given outsiders that impression that nothing is sacred to us, everything is for sale. Don’t you remember when we learned about Tricks and Keith in the pinewood case selling voters cards. There has to be a line drawn in the sand of what should be held as untouchable and when a person has past on it is cowardice to me to demonize him when he cannot defend himself. Also the only thing that I can see as some reward to Mr. Marquis and the Tribune is the fact that alot of Bahamians of all standings are too wishy washy will not stand up for anything and the point that he is trying to diminish the memory of Sir Lynden and rewrite history for those who were not there, the young people, who will decide the next elections. It is times like these that you miss Sir Lynden because people Marquis would be on the first thing smokin’ out of here.
Media and everyone that blogs here on this sight.
I was appalled yesterday when I saw the headlines of the witless tribune rag and drag newspaper the headlines from Mr Marquis stated that they have evidence that Sir Lyndon was born in Jamaica and came here as a boy to the Bahamas ……I then asked myself the question what more can we as Bahamians stomach and take for in one week this S.O.B has called Sir Lyndon a murderer, drug dealer and now questions his birth right as a Bahamian.
Folk es Iam a very liberal person I truly believe in the freedom of speech and the right to air ones opinions but when one crosses the line as this sad person has done then that person does not deserve to carry on in the capacity as Mr Marquis was doing so ….I asked every Bahamian to boycott the wutless newspaper and send a clear message that this is not acceptable at any cost.
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