Shipping Co. To Close; Dozens Lose Job
By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR

Alibrando Dean, a former employee of Pioneer Shipping displays the letter he received when he was terminated. (Photo/Torrell Glinton)

Pioneer Shipping Ltd. is expected to close its doors Friday, putting dozens of people out of work and ending almost three decades of operations here.


In a flyer handed out to customers, the import shipping company said it is "joining forces" with Laser International Freight Transport in order to provide better shipping logistics.

Workers said they were notified last Wednesday of the company’s decision to close its doors, effectively ending its 29-year stint here.

Two days later, dockworkers were reportedly let go.

According to Philip Kelly, a father of five, he and his Pioneer’s Master Terminal co-workers were sent packing last Friday with no compensation package and with only one week’s pay in their pockets.

"We were abused and we were treated wrongly," he told the Journal Tuesday.

His coworker, Perry Winder, a father of a six-month-old daughter, agreed.

"This left me speechless because I have a family to take care of," said Mr. Winder, who had been with the company for about a year.

"These people don’t care about us. We need somebody to please take a stand and try help us out."

Alibrando Dean, who has a wife and a two-month-old son to support, said it’s a situation that has left workers’ finances strained.

"This has left us in a sticky situation because now we have bills to pay and it’s the end of the month. Most of us have mortgages. We have a family and it left us in a strain because last week’s pay was to take care of last week’s set of bills. This week’s pay is to take care of this week’s set of bills," he said.

He told the Journal that with his one week’s pay he received a letter that was vague about the date of future compensation for workers’ abrupt termination.

"They are saying they are supposed to give us two weeks’ pay in lieu of notice, two weeks’ vacation and two weeks for the years we have been there and now they are telling us we don’t have anything to get because the company is not sold yet and when the company gets sold they’ll give us something," Mr. Dean claimed.

"I don’t think it’s fair because we don’t have a job and we still have mouths to feed."

The men said they have alerted the Labour Board to their plight.

Their greatest fear is once the company closes its doors Friday, there will be no way to contact their bosses about their promised compensation.

Meantime, one Pioneer office worker who still has a job – at least until Friday – said those who remain at work are "nervous wrecks" uncertain of their fate.

"Staff workers are now sitting here in limbo. They have had nothing in writing to say what they are going to get. About 35 people are going to be unemployed when the company closes," the office worker said.

"We’ve been told verbally that there’s no money. In a meeting last week, the company said it has to sell the property first before they give out compensation packages. We’re in here nervous wrecks, uncertain of our destiny."

The Nassau-based company isn’t the only branch closing its doors, according to an office worker, who said the Miami office closed last Friday, leaving 40 people there without a job.

Pioneer said this move is all in an effort to provide multiple shipping services in a "seamless manner" to its valued customers.

Laser International Freight and Transport is now expected to handle the consolidation of Pioneer’s container loading and logistics.

Shipped cargo will arrive in Nassau at Arawak Cay instead of Union Wharf.

Meantime customers are being told to collect all cargo at the Pioneer Union Wharf Dock facility by Friday.

The Journal was unable to reach Pioneer President Arthur Thompson for comment.

We were abused and we were treated wrongly," he told the Journal Tuesday.
His coworker, Perry Winder, a father of a six-month-old daughter, agreed.
"This left me speechless because I have a family to take care of," said Mr. Winder, who had been with the company for about a year.
"These people don’t care about us. We need somebody to please take a stand and try help us out."
Alibrando Dean, who has a wife and a two-month-old son to support, said it’s a situation that has left workers’ finances strained.
"This has left us in a sticky situation because now we have bills to pay and it’s the end of the month. Most of us have mortgages. We have a family and it left us in a strain because last week’s pay was to take care of last week’s set of bills. This week’s pay is to take care of this week’s set of bills," he said.

Hope they will see the importance of having an emergency fund when they get other jobs.

Rumour is that the FiestaMail bought the line...

how very sad. i feel it for them, it sucks when you have bills to pay. this is the main reason people should try not to get them selves in a bunch of debt. money that you havent made yet isnt garunteed.

are they closing the doors for good or just rebranding as they are merging?

either way its sad, they will be in my thoughts

It was just announced on Love 97 news that some of the staff were notified last Wednesday. They are upset. They are family men who have mortgages and such. They were apparently told that they would be compensated but were just recently told that because the company was not "sold" yet, they may have to wait for compensation. SAD!!

Well that's a bummer.. So their compensation could neva come if da company is neva sold... Jeezus in times like this when erry ting so spensive how dese workers dem spose ta feed dey families?:hammer::hammer:

dis shizzle is awful!!!!

See, now this is where the importance of precedent comes into play.

Just as the government bailed out workers of Royal Oasis, and gave them severence packages, these folks will expect the same. Some are already saying that the government has to do something.

Governments should never step into the private sector to bail out employees of a failed business. The employees have a right and ability to sue, if the company is liable to pay severences.

Further, in this case, the severence is coming, but only after the sale of the company is completed.

Still, what they need to do now, is contact their financial institutions and advise them of what is happening with regard to their employment. The institution can restructure their payments, until they are re-employed. But as most Bahamians do, they will probably sit around and complain about the government not doing anything to help them, the banks will then start calling, the level of frustration will escalate, etc.

If I lose my job today or tomorrow, I have to get out there and do whatever I could, to provide for my family. That means washing cars, selling fish/fruit - whatever, until I could land another secure job. Some Bahamians just let pride get in the way of duty.