Decision on job cuts at GCG Group coming soon

by Emmanuel Joseph

Anxious workers at a leading provider of airline, industrial and event catering services will soon know whether they will be on the breadline.

The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), which represents employees at the GCG Group, a member of the Goddard Enterprises Group of Companies, says the final numbers and other details could be known by next week.

The company plans to send home a number of workers because the sluggish return to commercial flights into Barbados and other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, due to COVID-19 restrictions and the apparent fear of flying, have hit the catering business hard.

The BWU’s Deputy General Secretary Dwaine Paul said discussions with the company on the possible cuts are at an advanced stage.

“Those discussions are still ongoing as it relates to possible changes in the staff at Goddard’s. We are hopeful that we should have a concluded position by next week as it relates to what that organisation will or will not be doing,” he told Barbados TODAY.

“We are advanced in the discussions, but we have to deal with the critical part of the details of staffing as they relate to the actual cuts and where they will be. We anticipate we should have that next week, so that we can be able to have fuller discussions with the employees who are aware there will be changes to the operation.”

Paul said the union and the company were trying to push through the talks so they could get back to the employees who are anxious to know their fate.

“It is a difficult discussion because of the state of affairs with the main business of the company, which is travel catering,” he lamented.

The GCG Group offers commercial airline catering such as cooking full meals for first class passengers or providing snacks to be served throughout economy class. (emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)