OSWALD BROWN WRITES
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 13, 2018 – Some Bahamians who regularly read newspapers consider The PUNCH to be an irresponsible member of The Fourth Estate in The Bahamas. Their opinions, of course, are based on their disdain for and misunderstanding of newspapers that are generally referred to as “tabloids.”
Historically, the term “tabloid” was associated with a newspaper’s size – that is, a smaller size publication compared to the standard “broadsheet” newspaper – but over the years it evolved as the definition for a style of journalism based on over-exaggerated sensationalism, gossip and graphic crime stories.
It is an accepted journalistic doctrine that three major goals of a “good newspaper” should be to INFORM, EDUCATE and ENTERTAN. There is no question that The PUNCH does a great job in all three of these categories. It certainly keeps its readers well informed with through its CRIME & COURT BEAT, CARIBBEAN BEAT and WORLD ACTION pages. And although there may be some questions about the “educational value” of its articles, there is no disputing the fact that it is a very entertaining newspaper. Therefore, in the overall context of what a good newspaper should seek to do, as a veteran journalist for more than 55 years, in my view The PUNCH is arguably the best newspaper published in The Bahamas.
What really influences the opinions of those who claim that The PUNCH is not a good newspaper is their seemingly hypocritical disdain for its popular NASSAU GRAPEWINE gossip column, which more likely than not is the first page these same critics turn to when they purchase The PUNCH. I’ll admit that I am a huge fan of NASSAU GRAPEWINE, not so much because I enjoy reading gossip, but it is always a “great mental exercise” trying to figure out the identities of the individuals clandestinely mentioned in the various items in the column.
But the feature that I invariably turn to first in The PUNCH, after reviewing the scantily-clad “Beauty of the Week” on Page 3 for a couple seconds, is Nicki Kelly’s very intelligent and always well-written column, “BETWEEN THE LINES,” which is another reason why I think The PUNCH is The Bahamas’ best newspaper. I had the pleasure of working in the same newsroom with Nicki Kelly as a young journalist at The Tribune and learned a great deal from her during the several years we worked together. At the time, Nicki was The Tribune’s chief political reporter, and I actually developed a deep interest in politics by occasionally covering the House of Assembly.
Another aspect of The PUNCH that does not receive the accolades it rightfully deserves is its insightful and discerning editorial, THE PUNCH SAYS, written by Publisher and Editor Ivan Johnson. The “editorial” in the Thursday, December 13, 2018, edition is a good example of the kind of “commentary” that the major daily newspapers would do well to emulate, rather than daily trying to out-do each other in reporting the latest crime news.
In that editorial, The PUNCH offered Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) boss Darren Woods, who seems hell-bent on doing serious damage to our tourism-based economy by threating strike action against the Atlantis Resort over a nonsensical issue, some very sound advice that he would be wise to heed.
In making its case, The PUNCH, in its no-holds-barred style, opened its editorial by declaring that it appeared as if Woods and his close advisors “have lost their heads.”
It continued, “Our premier resort at Atlantis employ 7,500 workers. Eager staff are gearing up for the peak Christmas and New Year tourist season. There’s plenty money to be made by all from the tens of thousands of tourists who will stay at Atlantis on Paradise Island.
“And with jobs hard to come by, the 7,500 workers are grateful for employment at the region’s leading hotel and casino resort. But union President Woods seems determined to spoil the festive mood and play the part of mean-spirited Christmas Grinch. Because Woods’ insistence on holding a strike vote next Tuesday, December 18, seems to be uncalled for, unwarranted and out of order…”
The PUNCH goes on to explain, “He’s is upset at Atlantis over the introduction of a new shift structure for housekeepers. And a 12-point disciplinary system regarding staff being late for work. Woods claims that Atlantis failed to complete its consultation and talks with the union before implementing the changes. That may be so. But by law management has the right to manage in the best interests of the company and staff. And the changes are thought to be beneficial to staff and company. Thus, they were introduced in good cause and to the mutual benefit of all for the common good…”
Declaring that Atlantis has “resolved all disputes with the union,” The PUNCH concluded that “there’s nothing to strike about.”
Then it added this bombshell claim: “Indeed, union bosses have failed to draft a new labour contract since the last one expired in 2013. The union’s failure to seal a new deal for workers in five years appears to be gross negligence and dereliction of duty by Woods and his officers. What’s more, since the contract expired in 2013, staff have paid $10 million in union dues out of their weekly pay cheques. And, now, union bosses reportedly want to go on strike without any pay. Yet, workers rightly feel the union is duty-bound to pay them while on strike out of the $10 million they’ve paid into the union coffers.”
The PUNCH made a similar claim in a front-page story, in which it said that only 4,000 of the 7,500 staff at the Atlantis Resort at Paradise Island are members of the union and “the majority of the 4,000 reportedly have said that they do not want to strike and not get paid.” Quite rightly, The PUNCH noted that each of 4,000 members pays $10-a-week out of their wages to the union, which amounts to “$2 million a year –$10 million over five years.”
However, what The PUNCH failed to factor into its calculation of the amount of dues collected by the BHCAWU over this five-year period is the fact that based upon the law that sanctioned mandatory deduction of union dues from the salary of hotel workers, those workers who are not members of the union also are required to pay a percentage of the weekly dues because it was argued at the time the law was enacted that whenever the union negotiated a new industrial agreement, all workers benefited, even if they were not union members. I can’t specifically recall what percentage non-union members had to pay, but I think it was 90 percent. This being the case, then the BHCAWU collects considerably more than $2 million a year from Atlantis, based on The PUNCH’S calculation.
I addressed this issue in my OSWALD BROWN WRITES column several weeks ago when I noted that Mr. Woods may have decided to flex his muscle at this early stage of his administration to indicate to dues-paying members that they did not make a mistake in May of this year when they elected him to succeed Nicole Martin as President of the BHCAWU, the richest and most powerful union in The Bahamas.
As I noted in that column, another reason could very well be that he wanted to prove to the union members that he deserves the huge salary he is making as President of the union. Some Past Presidents of the BHCAWU were known to have received in excess of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) in salary and benefits, as was the case with the late Pat Bain, who was President of the BHCAWU for six years before he died of cancer in November of 2006.
Clearly, if he is not presently salaried at the same level as his predecessor, Nicole Martin, who reportedly made in excess of $150,000 a year, Mr. Woods has his sights set of enjoying the benefits of a six-figure income in the not-too-distant future.
He should not be allowed to “feather his financial nest” by undermining the excellent job the Ministry of Tourism is doing in promoting The Bahamas as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. Recent reports indicate that 2018 has been an exceptionally good year for tourism – the “lifeblood” of the country’s economy – and it is not only dangerous, but grossly irresponsible for Mr. Woods and his cohorts to be putting their self-interest above the welfare of the country.
As The PUNCH noted in its excellent editorial: “Union bosses need to rethink their strategy and tactics. Now is not the time to stir up unwarranted industrial troubles.”
