/ 16 November 2001

Top hotel dismisses black drivers

Mungo Soggot

The Park Hyatt, a plush Johannesburg hotel that prides itself on its black empowerment credentials, has given marching orders to seven black chauffeurs who have serviced the hotel since it was built in 1995.

The chauffeurs used to work for different taxi companies but last year the Hyatt came to an informal, written arrangement with the drivers that they would work for the hotel. The deal was that they would get custom and nothing else from the Hyatt, but use their own cars, for which they raised their own loans.

The Hyatt stipulated what cars they should drive Mercedes and BMW saloons and how they should conduct themselves. In the letters confirming this new arrangement in March last year, the hotel said that, among other things, the drivers should not use the guest toilets in the hotel lobby. The hotel took a 10% commission from the drivers’ earnings.

According to the drivers the arrangement worked smoothly until this August, when they were informed in writing by the hotel’s director of rooms, Walter Gag, that their services were no longer required as the hotel was starting an in-house chauffeur service. Gag said the new service with the Hyatt’s own cars would start on September 1. He said in the letters the hotel would be “happy to assist” any driver who wanted a reference from the Hyatt to get another job.

Since then the drivers have kicked up a fuss. The Hyatt, meanwhile, has changed tack and, instead of going ahead with its in-house service, has decided to tender for a new company and placed advertisements in the press.

The hotel says it has received many offers, adding that the tender is open to the existing drivers. But the drivers say the tender requirements, in particular the specifications for the age and model of cars required, count them out. The drivers say nobody has ever complained about them their dismissal letters certainly make no mention of any dereliction of duty.

Steven Blackburn, the hotel’s general manager, had no explanation for the hotel’s behaviour in particular its flip-flop from taking the service in-house to launching an open tender. He said he understood how the situation could be perceived, but insisted there were confidential “fundamental issues” which explained the decision.

“You do not have both sides of the story,” he said, but declined to elaborate.

The tender document, signed off in October, specifies that the winning contractor’s luxury saloons should not be more than three years old and should have less than 100 000km on the clock.

In letters to the drivers last March the Hyatt said their cars should not be older than five years.

The tender document says that whoever wins the contract should have five vehicles stationed at the hotel, two of which should be Microbuses and three limousines another stipulation that excludes the existing drivers.