Protest rocks Excellence Oster Bay
Published:Tuesday | November 19, 2024 | 12:07 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Despite pleas from the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association for more dialogue amid simmering tensions, the tourism sector was hit with another protest action on Monday, this time by staff at Excellence Oster Bay in Trelawny.
The workers, who ignored a last-minute request from the property’s overseas management – who flew in specifically to address their grievances – said they were fed up with poor working conditions, low wages, and what they described as the management’s indifference to their concerns.
“We are one of the most loyal sectors in Jamaica, yet we are being overworked and underpaid,” said a female worker, who noted that at times, she has to borrow money from relatives to get to work.
“You might see us smiling with the guests and pretending that ‘Jamaica, No Problem’, but we are suffering under bad treatment, disrespect, and low wages,” she added.
“When COVID hit Jamaica, we were out here risking our health to protect tourism. Yet, here we are, struggling to care for our families because these people refuse to pay us properly … . Now that tourism workers found the courage to stand up, we are no longer prepared to suffer like slaves,” added the woman.
Workers at Royalton Negril were the first to walk off the job in October, followed last week by back-to-back protests at the Secrets and Breathless resorts, and then at Iberostar.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr have been seeking to bridge the gap between workers and management through dialogue.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged Barlett to “bring the sector together to have real dialogue about how we are going to ensure that our workers in the tourism industry are happy”, adding that his administration has grown the sector from 2.5 million annual visitors to more than four million currently.
In siding with the workers’ plight, Holness said that while tourism is growing, the workers should not be left behind.
“ … The workers, they are justified in also seeking their own household and their own remuneration and their own benefits to grow in proportion with the growth and development of the industry,” the prime minister said.
Last week, Charles emphasised the importance of ongoing dialogue between management and staff, as well as establishing internal mechanisms to address emerging issues quickly and amicably.
However, Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism Senator Janice Allen has accused Bartlett of failing to act decisively to resolve issues.