The Renaissance Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios.
-Andrew Smith photo
John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
DR. OMAR Davies, Minister of Finance and Planning, has agreed to improve the severance pay of roughly 700 workers at the Renaissance Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios, Senator Navel Clarke, deputy island supervisor for the National Workers Union (NWU), disclosed yesterday.
The hotel has reportedly been sold.
Senator Clarke, whose union represents more than half of the Jamaica Grande's workforce, explained that the management of the hotel international hotel chain Marriott from the United States had initially offered to pay unionised workers a seven per cent increase on their salary. According to him, workers, as part of the proposal, would be entitled to an extra week's bonus on termination of their
contracts.
The offer, he said, was however rejected by the union. The NWU, Senator Clarke said, instead made an appeal to the Government owners of 49 per cent of the hotel "to assist the workers with a 'financial handshake' from proceeds of the sale to prevent any undue hardship..."
EXTRA WEEK'S BONUS
Senator Clarke said Dr. Davies had agreed to pay an extra week's bonus in addition to the nine per cent increase on salaries plus one week's bonus offered by the management of the hotel on termination of the workers' contracts.
The Jamaica Grande is currently not taking any bookings and is expected to be closed for three months to undergo extensive renovations.
The union had complained that the rate of increase would not have allowed employees with five years' service to take home more than a measly $35,000 in redundancy payments when the property changes ownership.
Dr. Davies said he could not offer more than the additional week's bonus as most of the proceeds from the sale of the
property would be going to pay outstanding debts. The hotel is valued between US$30 million and US$35 million. Transactions for the takeover of the
property is expected to be finalised by September 10.
