PUT BARBADOS FIRST!

The Barbados Workers' Union (BWU) is supporting Chefette Restaurant's objection to American fast food company, Subway Sandwiches, setting up here.

But general secretary Sir Roy Trotman is making it "abundantly clear" that the union's support is "qualified".

"We have made the management of Chefette perfectly aware that we want to help them, but we want them to understand that they must put Barbados first . . .," he said.

Goddard Enterprises applied for a franchise to operate the Subway fast food outlet, and Chefette was among local objectors. But only last month, the local fast food chain of restaurants dropped locally-produced Coke and its sister products from its menu, replacing them with the Trinidad-made Pepsi.

Making reference to Chefette's objection to Subway coming to the island, Sir Roy said if the fast food outlet did not want to deal with Barbados' "adjunct" businesses, then the union's support could not be wholesale.

"We [the union] are of the view that in the same way Chefette and Kentucky and other companies of that sort must be given whatever support they can be given in this phase of liberalisation and trade, in like manner, Chefette and those others must give support to the local soft drink industry, to the local ice cream industry and to the local chicken industry . . .," Sir Roy said.

"We [the union] acknowledge that we have written to the Ministry of Finance, and we have supported Chefette in its opposition to a new franchise being granted in the fast food business."

He added that it didn't make sense for a company to be more profitable, if the job security of Barbadians was threatened.

However, in an advertisement in the MIDWEEK NATION today, chairman and managing director of Chefette, Assad Haloute, sought to "publicly set the record straight".

He explained that his chain had no choice but to consider alternate suppliers, after prices at Barbados Bottlers Limited started to rise, and a shorter contract period offered.

"In a market where prices continue to rise, we could not pass on this increase to our customers as this would result in lower sales and eventually staff layoffs," Haloute said.

He added his company's decision to change suppliers ensured job security for local employees, allowed the company to keep their prices low, and created new jobs as local agent R. L. Seale and Company Limited would have added more staff to service the 13 branches. (JR-B)