By SEAN INNISS

The first woman to ever run for presidency of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union is again tossing her hat into the ring.

Ms. Marina Dean made history back in 1994 and hopes to make it again by becoming the first female president of the BHCAWU when elections are held on May 30.

Ms. Dean and her campaign manager Richard Johnson held a press conference at the Trade Union Congress offices on Wulff Road yesterday.

As the only female hotel union presidential candidate she faces stiff competition from three male opponents Pat Bain, Godfrey Brice and Andre Sands who are running for the BHCAWU presidency. However Ms. Dean is confident that she has the support of union members who, she says, see her as a candidate true to her word. Ms. Dean said she has come to give workers the true representation they need and deserve.

Ms. Dean a cashier in the food and beverage area of Atlantis, revealed that on a daily basis the union is losing its members.

She said current union members feel they have no input and there is no real accountability by union officers.

She noted that money is currently being spent on a day care which is not being used by union members.

Ms. Dean said she is determined to correct the behaviour of officers who are only interested in collecting union dues and nothing else.

"A yardstick must be put in place where union executives must give an account for the work they have done and the fat salaries they earn," she said.

The 30 year union veteran said no longer will union members have to feel they are being short changed and treated as second class.

She charged that Mr. Pat Bain BHCAWU has been inaccessible and has used the union as a ticket to personal fame and fortune.

"They are all over the press bragging about spending $3million with their friends on medical screening and cannot help members who are seriously sick. For this alone, they should be rejected," she said.

If successfully elected, Ms. Dean promises to deliver 10 objectives;

* Allow workers to retire after 30 years of service or at age 60 with full pension benefits.

* Demand that hotel employers recognize seniority, and length of service in pay scale and benefits.

* Exempt members from Union dues once they have been a member of a union for 30 years.

* Provide health insurance coverage for all members of the union and their dependents.

* Educate all members as to the Union's Constitution, Labour Laws and their rights on the job.

* Provide advanced courses in management for all union officers so that they could be prepared for modern union management.

* Have gratuities considered a part of weekly wages.

* Provide assistance for all members to get affordable housing on their site for use of members and their families.

* Develop a gym and sports bar and recreational park at the Harold Road site for use by union members and their families.

* Develop a small hotel complex in Nassau Freeport to be managed by retired and unemployed members of the union.

Ms. Dean who prides herself on being God-fearing, served as a Shop Stewart for five years and came up through the ranks of the hotel union under the tutelage of leaders like David Knowles, Bobby Glinton, and TC Symonette.

POSTED THURSDAY MAY 29,2003