Employees at Mill Reef Club will receive higher wages and improved benefits under a new collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) and the company.

The agreement covers the period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 31, 2027, and provides for a cumulative 9% wage increase over three years, with workers receiving 3% annually along with retroactive payments.

The deal also introduces several enhancements to employee benefits, including additional support for working parents. Mothers on maternity leave will now continue to receive service charge payments, while paternity leave has been extended from five days to seven days.

Workers assigned to beach duties will receive a footwear allowance, and increases have been approved for existing allowances, including meal, spreader, call-out and graveyard shift allowances.

The union also negotiated improvements to the death-in-service benefit, raising it from 50% to 75% of severance pay for designated beneficiaries.

Another key provision settles a long-standing dispute over public holiday pay, with the agreement affirming that employees will receive their full public holiday pay entitlements.

ABWU President and Senior Industrial Relations Officer Kem Riley welcomed the outcome of the negotiations.

“I am satisfied that the staff are now in a better position and we will continue to build upon this in future negotiations,” Riley said.

The union said the agreement represents a significant step in improving wages, benefits and working conditions while strengthening industrial relations at the resort.