Concern over tourism workers

The General Workers' Union said yesterday it has continued to engage in discussions on the conditions of workers in the tourism sector in a bid to improve the employment situation and to curb uncertainty and insecurity.

The meetings, the union said, are being held in light of its concern about the current situation in a number of establishments and hotels. It said part-timers are working for 19-and-a-half hours so that they would not go beyond the 20-hour limit the law requires as the minimum for part-time workers to be entitled to pro-rata conditions and benefits enjoyed by full-timers.

The GWU was piling pressure on the authorities to remove this anomaly, the union said in its statement.

The union has also voiced its concern about the conditions of workers in the industry, who have no union to defend their rights, as well as the general service provided in hotels.

Employers who were offering employees good conditions were facing unfair competition, the GWU claimed.

The union was proposing that the classification of hotels would not be based only on their environment but also on the service they provide.

Another proposal was for the provision of a passport of qualifications for hotel employees to motivate them further.