Philipsburg:--- Several permanent workers of Great Bay Resort contacted SMN News on Tuesday claiming that a Jamaican undocumented supervisor whose name they gave as Cleopatra Blair who began working for the resort last year is making their working lives miserable. The workers who preferred to remain anonymous for the fear of victimization said that the new supervisor has been giving them three to four days off a week claiming that the season is slow. They said part-time workers some of whom are from Jamaica and are undocumented including the supervisor have been working seven days a week while the permanent workers are being given two and three days work per week. "We are not able to pay our bills and feed our families and we are permanent workers that are residing legally on the island and contributing to the fiscal system. Because of the mental and physical harassment, two persons who worked for years with the resort had to resign. One of the workers is 60+ years and she suffers from high blood pressure and other ailments but Ms. Blair chose to harass the elderly worker and even went as far as putting her to work in the bar outside on the beach in the hot sun. When the woman could not take it she resigned." The workers said the dining rooms at Great Bay Resort are very large and the supervisor would schedule three waiter staff workers for each dining room, then she would go around taking photographs with her phone of tables that were not cleaned immediately and take it to Bourne as he builds files to fire permanent and long time workers. The workers said they called in their union representative only to find out that the WIFOL representative was bought out. They said some of the workers went to one of the dailies and since then the situation has become unbearable.
The workers said that Ms. Blair has an extra-ordinary relationship with one of the General Managers who hails from Barbados. "We tried to speak with other supervisors who saw the unfair treatment but they are telling us that Blair has back-up because she has a personal relationship with a General Manager they identified as Carl Bourne." The workers are now calling on the Government of St. Maarten especially the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Labour because the law states that companies that have illegal immigrants working for them can face a fine. Besides that, they said they want to know if the labor laws on St. Maarten have changed because when working permits are being processed for first time applicants the worker has to remain off island until their documents are approved. "Jamaicans have to get visas to come to St. Maarten and the former Minister of Justice granted visa waivers to Maho for all kinds of people as the company tries to weed out the locals from the job market."
SMN News could not reach the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Justice on Tuesday for a comment on this issue.
