By LEDEDRA FERGUSON

Senior Freeport News Reporter

Royal Oasis Casino employees will learn this afternoon the outcome of talks between union executives, gaming board and Government officials set to get under way this morning.

This after the casino was reportedly closed by management for the better part of the day yesterday and casino employees reporting for morning duty were denied access to the premises.

A notice of the closure was also posted on the door of the casino.

The move is believed to be as a result of action reportedly taken by casino workers Saturday night.

However, The Freeport News was unable to confirm this up to press time.

Workers reporting as scheduled assembled outside the gate. Word of the unrest spread and, after visiting the site to get to the bottom of the situation, Marco City MP Pleasant Bridgewater also spoke with Royal Oasis Senior Vice-president Donald Archer.

She them met with casino employees.

"The company instituted a closure, as they called it, of the hotel," said The Bahamas Gaming and Allied Workers Union (BGAWU) President Dennis Britton, in an interview with The Freeport News.

Britton said he was informed Sunday morning by coworkers who telephoned him to say they were not being allowed on property.

A majority of the workers showed up for work, he added, only to learn they were locked out.

A meet was scheduled that afternoon between resort management and union executives.

"We met and tried to bring resolve to the situation that was at hand – why they locked us out and why they closed the casino down, " Britton said.

Britton noted that they would have met in any event, however, they decided to do so at an earlier time as they were already on the premises.

The meeting took place with senior management, including Archer and two others and Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Ann Percentie.

Pending issues were discussed Britton disclosed.

An agreement was reached to open the casino and it is business as usual, he said.

However, the BGAWU president declined to make any further comments on the matter as he had to conduct a "further investigation."

Resort management, BGAWU executives, Gaming Board Chairman MP Kenyatta Gibson and Government officials are expected to take part in this morning's meeting.