Brown Sugar workers in the dark about jobs and monies owed

by Kareem Smith

The once iconic Brown Sugar Restaurant appears to be among the latest casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic which has been taking a tremendous toll on players within the hospitality sector.

The restaurant, which once boasted of being the “home of sweet Bajan cuisine”, has also fallen out of favour with former employees who are reportedly extremely frustrated with the company’s refusal to hand over vacation monies and payment in lieu of notice. They are also concerned about the timeline in which severance payments may become available.

The Aquatic Gap, St Michael establishment that first opened its doors in the early 1970s has been closed for the most part since the national shutdowns of April and May, reopening briefly for Father’s Day celebrations and to facilitate some takeout orders.

Sources close to the situation informed Barbados TODAY that as workers struggled to make ends meet, receiving only “sporadic” payments from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), they were deterred from seeking alternative employment and assured that the restaurant would be reopening soon.

However, on October 3,  workers received a shock when Human Resources Manager Gwen Cummins informed them that the business would no longer be operational.

Having received no formal letters explaining the company’s position since its “temporary” closure, workers are fearful that outstanding commitments to them may not be honoured.

When contacted for a response to the concerns, owner Andre Donawa told Barbados TODAY: “You’re calling because you want to get some news, I’m sure. But I’m not really [willing] to have a conversation on that right now. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t call here again. Thanks.”

When a Barbados TODAY team visited Aquatic Gap, the establishment was a shell of its former self. The gates were locked and the grounds looked unkempt.   

The developments are unfolding even as the Government offers a $300 million Barbados Employment and Sustainable Transformation (BEST) stimulus package intended to keep at least 75 per cent of the country’s hospitality and tourism workers employed.

Since being informed of their employer’s position, former Brown Sugar workers have approached the Labour Department seeking help to secure their outstanding monies.

Barbados TODAY understands that an agreement with the employer to have the monies paid on Tuesday was not fulfilled, but workers are holding out hope they will receive it by the end of this week.

Efforts to reach the labour officer who is said to be managing the case were unsuccessful and the staff of approximately 40 people is not unionised.

“It hasn’t been easy because it’s just me. Food has to be bought and bills have to be paid, and we weren’t getting the NIS money as often as you were supposed to get it.

“Sometimes eight and nine weeks would pass without any money and it wasn’t easy at all,” lamented axed chef Richard Doyle.

“I went and did my last set of paperwork with the NIS for severance yesterday, and that doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon either.”

After serving in the company kitchen for 14 years, Doyle was holding out hope that management would honour its promise to reopen amid an uptick in business expected during October, November, and December, when the winter tourist season begins.

“As soon as the COVID [shutdowns] eased up, we were receiving different dates from the human resources manager. I was hoping to get back my job because I figured that as we come closer to November, business would be kicking off, but now it just feels like a ploy,” the former employee added.

Sources within the establishment have also indicated that the restaurant was rumoured to have been up for sale, but it is unclear whether any such plans had materialised.  kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb