Marigot:--- Workers of well known Boo Boo Jam restaurant in Orient Bay were on strike all day Friday as they protest against a particular manager and the termination of one of their colleagues. The strike and protest at the entrance of the restaurant is expected to continue said Rudy Hyman of CGTG union of Guadeloupe.The CGTG representative said the workers are demanding their bonuses and want to have one of their colleagues who was fired re-instated. Hyman said management of Boo Boo Jam fired their beach boy Patrick Cocks since April 23rd and to date he has not been paid. The workers and their union are also demanding that the manager of Boo Boo Jam Stephane Guihard be removed forthwith.
The workers alleged that the manager who is from Corsica told the workers that "in Corsica black man has no place and he is only fit to be tied up with chains and dragged behind a car." Hyman said the new manager told the workers that his job is to fire the local staff. "Today's manifestation is to show that the manager is wrong and his behaviour will not be accepted on St. Martin and we will do whatever is legally possible to make sure he goes." Hyman said there are number of workers who worked at Boo Boo Jam for years that are affected, some of them have 20 years service and what is happening now has never happened before. Hyman further alleges that the most severe issues surround racism and that will not be accepted. The CGTG is demanding that management sit around the table with them to resolve the issues. He said unless that happens, the strike will continue.
Hyman and another worker said that the workers are being pushed, provoked, and fined if they don't cooperate with management. They claim the new manager was brought in to fire the local St. Martin workers. Their strategy is to get rid of the workers that have worked here for more than 20 years and because of this we are calling on the population to come out and support us.
Meanwhile, the general manager of Boo Boo Jam was giving his side of the story to Captain Sylvain Jouault of the Gendarmerie, pending a report being sent to Préfet Philippe Chopin.
The general manager later told reporters that management was not the one making racism an issue and defended Guihard who he admitted had a "strong" management style.
"That's the only argument they (workers) can come up with," he said. "But when we give orders to them we are told that management is getting at them because they are black."
He also disclosed that Patrick Cocks had received warnings before in July 2011 about his behaviour and defiance of authority. After two years of trying to ameliorate the situation it was decided to fire Cocks.
The general manager added his intention when he arrived was always to fully maintain the good reputation of the restaurant and keep the staff. Now future events at the restaurant are on hold until the strike is settled.