Premier: 112 Little Dix workers have new jobs

A little more than a third of the 319 employees who were displaced by the recent closures of Rosewood Little Dix Bay and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda have found new employment, according to statements made by Premier Dr. Orlando Smith last week in the House of Assembly.

Responding to questions from Opposition Leader Julian Fraser, Dr. Smith said last Thursday that 112 of the Little Dix workers have found new jobs. He didn’t say how many YCCS workers have found jobs, but explained that only two have registered with government’s help desk.

Dr. Smith said the employment found by the displaced workers includes jobs at hotels, bars and restaurants, as well as some in security and construction.

The jobs have been provided by 32 businesses on Virgin Gorda, 12 on Tortola, as well as the resorts at Necker, Peter, Guana and Scrub islands, he said.

The premier added that eight of the displaced workers have left the Virgin Islands to return to their “native lands” due to the closures.

Help desk

Meanwhile, the help desk established by government is continuing to assist the displaced workers in finding new employment, Premier’s Office Deputy Secretary Geraldine Ritter-Freeman told the Beacon on Monday.

Ms. Ritter-Freeman said that 122 people had registered with the help desk as of last week.

Not all of the 112 employees who found new jobs did so through the help desk, she clarified: Some of them found jobs on their own, though she didn’t know how many.

Ms. Ritter-Freeman stressed that the remaining unemployed people registered at the help desk aren’t jobless because of a lack of opportunity: Some of them have turned down jobs because the openings aren’t in their preferred industry, she explained.

“While we would want to place everyone, some people do have a preference for what they want to do,” she said.

The massive number of employees looking for work is a result of Little Dix and YCCS closing their doors in May and June, respectively, for major renovation projects.

Work taking place at Little Dix includes the complete redesign of the resort’s Beach Grill, as well as “major enhancements” to the guestrooms, suites, retail outlets and banquet area, according to Rosewood executives.

Work at YCCS includes the development of a new sewage treatment plant for vessel waste, two new accommodation units, and a yacht crew bar, according to a press release distributed by YCCS on April 30.

Littie Dix is expected to reopen by November 2017, YCCS in January.

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