A new policy statement that includes drug testing was presented to the staff at the Rosedon Hotel yesterday.

The policy that involved management, union officials and the Employee Assistance Programme has been in the pipeline since October and affects all 30 staff members.

The hotel's general manager Mrs. Muriel Richardson said the aim of the policy statement was educational and not punitive.

"This is not a witch hunt,'' she said. "We are not out to catch people who are on drugs, what we really want to do is rehabilitate them and bring them back to the workplace.'' She said the policy had been drawn up with the involvement of union shop steward Carol Saunders and head supervisor Clara Bell-White.

The document comprises some 13 pages and is divided into four parts. There is the policy statement itself which sets out in broad terms the hotel's stance, an interpretation and two appendices.

It encourages employees with an alcohol or drug dependency to seek advice promptly before it affects their job performance and stipulates that if they follow approved treatment, sick leave benefits and medical insurance are available.

However, if an employee is suffering from alcohol or drug dependency and refuses rehabilitation or fails to respond to treatment or does not perform effectively at their job, they will face disciplinary action which could include losing their job.

Management and supervisory staff are responsible for identifying persons with alcohol or drug problems which may be affecting their ability to perform.

Indicators that an employee may have a drug problem include having the odour or alcoholic beverage about their person, a criminal conviction involving drugs or alcohol or a violation of hotel safety.

The department of health will test urine samples for alcohol, cannabinoids, cocaine and opiates.

If an employee is identified they may be asked to submit for a test by signing a consent form.

This is voluntary, although an interview will follow to identify if their reasons for refusal are valid.

If they are, they will be referred to the EAP for counselling. If the reasons are not valid the employee has one hour to reconsider.

Continual refusal can result in suspension and further counseling, although if there are valid reasons for refusing, the employee will be reimbursed for loss of pay.

The policy also allows a manager or supervisor to search an employee's locker, desk, bag or pockets if they have reasonable suspicion that there are illegal drugs or alcohol on their person.

Such searches would be unannounced and conducted with a representative from the union present.

"I think this is a pro-active approach to handling a problem that is impacting on our community,'' Mrs. Richardson said.

"It was a question of do we wait until something happens and then consider where we stand or do we try to put something in place so that we can assist our people.'' Mrs. Richardson said all new employees will be given a drug test before they are hired.

"I am very excited. It certainly a step in the right direction. I am pleased this is not a document that management had devised and tried to shove down the staff's throat.

"We had full staff participation in this from the beginning. They let us know that random testing was not the answer and that education was the key and we fully supported it.''