Workers at Elite Resorts are set to benefit from higher wages and improved benefits following the signing of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) and the resort chain.

The deal provides a 5 percent wage increase in the first year, with some employees expected to see pay rises of up to 9 percent in the second year. Over its three-year span, the agreement is projected to deliver an average 15 percent boost in salaries.

Beyond wages, the CBA introduces a number of new benefits. Among them is a Death-in-Service award, which will be calculated as half of an employee’s severance entitlement. A new clause also clarifies how the company will handle pay for public holidays, while another ensures that staff on paternity leave remain eligible for service charge payments.

Union President and Senior Industrial Relations Officer Kem Riley said the agreement marked a step forward for workers at the resort, though he stressed that negotiations would continue.

““Ultimately, the employees have expressed satisfaction with the new CBA, but there is still more work to be done,” Riley noted. “We look forward to securing even greater benefits for workers when we resume talks next year”

The ABWU and Elite Resorts have agreed to return to the bargaining table in January 2026 to finalize the terms covering the final year of the contract, which runs from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027.