More workers could be taken on at the new hotel development at Castle Harbour than were employed previously, Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess has claimed.

And he said the BIU had already met with Regent hotels to confirm that there would be just as many jobs at the proposed five-star resort overlooking Castle Harbour as there were at the now-closed Marriott.

He was responding to Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon who yesterday asked whether the Government had secured a "finite'' number of jobs when negotiating with Regent hotels for the deal, which included a $30 million sweetener from Government.

"The BIU has not only met with Regent to confirm there would be enough jobs available, but we're told there could even be more openings,'' he said.

Mr. Burgess added he was pleased Ms Gordon was concerned for the workers, but found it strange because the previous Government had passed a series of Acts which hammered working people.

And he alleged the United Bermuda Party administration did nothing to help 11 workers at the former Club Med resort in St. George's who were owed around $90,000 in severance pay.

Ms Gordon, speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday, said she was concerned that not all former staff at the now-closed Marriott Castle Harbour Hotel would be re-employed.

"I would have thought certain things would be non-negotiable,'' she said, "and one of those things would have been to secure a finite number of workers to continue to be employed at that facility. Government has not been clear on whether they did this and I just wanted to make sure that they weren't throwing the baby out with the bathwater when they did all this negotiating.

But Mr. Burgess said the staff-to-room ratio at five-star hotels was higher than in three or four star locations.

And with the additional timeshare properties, spa, shops, conference centre, golf course and new homes at the development, the final staff tally could see more than the 370 employed at Castle Harbour, he said.

New hotel could employ over 370 The Marriott Castle Harbour resort closed last November with the loss of 370 jobs.

Last Friday, Government announced a $30 million sweetener -- through concessions on land and payroll tax and duty-free drinks -- to help developers trying to raise $200 million for the proposed 200-room development.

Mr. Burgess said yesterday: "When she (Ms Gordon) was leader of the Government at the time, they had no compassion for the workers...It is going to be a smaller hotel in terms of rooms, but in a five-star property, the ratio of staff to rooms is higher, so our workers that want to go back will be OK.'' He refused to comment when asked whether the terms and conditions of employment would be the same as before.

"We have an agreement and the workers should be the first to hear it,'' he said.