~ Casino hopes matters will be resolved soon ~
PHILIPSBURG–Rouge et Noir Casino workers are upset over the non-payment of their November salaries and say they are not getting any clarity from management on when they will be paid.
In an invited comment Managing Director Antoine Akl said the casino, which has been closed since Hurricane Irma, does not have any funds available to pay salaries and management is looking into its available options to resolve this matter.
Several of the disgruntled workers were outside the casino on Monday hoping to either get their salaries or hear from the casino on when they will be paid, but up to Monday night some of the workers said they hadn’t heard anything as yet.
The workers told The Daily Herald that they were supposed to have been paid last Thursday, but when they showed up, they weren’t. The workers said after Hurricane Irma they went in to work and helped to clean the casino, the roof of which had been damaged during the hurricane.
Due to the circumstances post hurricane Irma, the work week of permanent workers was later reduced to four days per week and that of contracted workers was reduced to two days per week. As the casino is currently closed and they were not required to be physically present on the job, they were required to go to work on the days they were scheduled to work and sign in their names before 10:00am.
Only those who signed were paid for the days. One worker said she was not aware of the sign-in requirement and as a result she was not paid. The workers felt that this was unfair because they had to spend from the little they had just to sign in to work just to receive four and two days’ pay. The workers said also that they were told last week that no new schedule would be made and that they no longer had to sign in and they were no longer allowed to enter the casino premises.
The workers said they have children to feed, rent and other bills to pay and they need their salaries. They said efforts by their union – Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) to meet with management were futile. This newspaper was unable to reach a representative of the union as calls went unanswered.
Akl said claims that management had not communicated with the workers are untrue. He said a letter had been sent to the union on the matter explaining that the workers could not be paid at this time as there are financial issues. He said the workers had been paid in the past. While the casino does not have funds, management is hoping that the current situation would be resolved soon.
The casino was expecting to receive payment of its business interruption insurance from a local insurance company, but this has not yet materialised. He said the casino is still without a roof and discussions will be held with the owners of the building on replacing the roof. The plan is to eventually reopen the casino.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/71556-rouge-et-noir-workers-upset-over-non-payment-of-salaries
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