CASTRIES, St. Lucia (CMC):

St. Lucia police were summoned Wednesday to the Almond Morgan Bay resort on the outskirts of the capital, in a continuing impasse between management and a trade union over trade union recognition.

Officers of the Special Service Unit (SSU) were called in after representatives of the Seamen Waterfront and General Workers Trade Union showed up at the resort for a meeting with employees.

The meeting, which was supposed to take place outside of the hotel compound, was expected to plan unspecified action to press demands for trade union recognition.

Just over 50 employees turned up for the meeting but union officials said a large contingent of SSU officers at the property was intimidating for workers.

Scare workers

"It is clear that the presence of these para-military officers called up by the hotel was intended to intimidate and scare workers from the meeting with their trade union," said the Union General Secretary Alexis Alcide.

In a press conference Wednesday, Chairman of the Almond Resorts Ralph Taylor stressed that the hotel was under no obligation to recognise the Seamen's Union as the bargaining agent for the workers until it was proven that the majority of workers were members of the union.

He told reporters that when the property was bought over from owners of the St. James Club, the contracts of all workers were terminated and Almond therefore acquired a bare hotel plant.

That position was supported by the St. Lucia Employers Federation representative who stated that if the severance of the St. James hotel workers was legally effected it means that there was no work force or bargaining unit left to be represented.