High-level JTB team to visit Royalton Negril after Heroes Day protest
Published:Wednesday | October 23, 2024 | 12:09 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
While staff at Royalton Negril have returned to work, a scheduled meeting between a high-level Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) delegation led by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and the hotel’s management and workers is still slated for 9:30 a.m. today.
The workers withdrew their services on Monday citing poor working conditions and low wages.
Late yesterday, Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr released a statement confirming that the workers had resumed their duties. However, efforts to get a comment from the Royalton Negril management about a meeting the hotel owners were slated to have with the workers yesterday were unsuccessful. The owners flew in from Spain on Monday night to take charge of the situation.
The more than 200 disgruntled workers withdrew their services on National Heroes Day and staged a protest during which they used placards to highlight their grouses. Along with claiming poor treatment by the management and low wages, they also called for the removal of the general manager, who they said has been insensitive to their plight.
“Most time, they are talking about budget when we can’t even get water fe drink,” said Amar James, one of the disgruntled workers. “The food situation bad. When yu go to de canteen, de food nah prepare good. Sometimes yu can’t get nothing to eat, yet yu have to work long hours.”
BELOW A REASONABLE WAGE
According to James, even when an employee works as much as 80 hours for a fortnight, the remuneration is still below what he would consider a reasonable wage. He said complaints to management are usually ignored, which led to their decision to stage the protest.
While the protest affected guests at the property, some were sympathetic to the workers’ plight, including one bold visitor who scolded a manager while he was trying to coax the workers to call off their protest. The visitor, who attempted to take a microphone from the manager, reportedly told him that the hotel needs to share more of its profit with the workers.
In a statement yesterday, Senator Janice Allen, the opposition spokesperson on tourism, expressed her solidarity with the workers and called for the hotel’s management to be mindful of their concerns.
“It is clear that these issues have reached a breaking point, and I urge the management of Royalton Negril to engage in meaningful dialogue with the staff to reach an amicable resolution,” said Allen. “The longer these matters remain unresolved, the greater the risk to both employee satisfaction and the reputation of the hotel.”
In his release yesterday, Charles said the Ministry of Labour and Social Security was aware of the industrial action that was taken on Monday, as well as the complaints by the disgruntled workers about management and employee relations.
“We have conducted a preliminary investigation and I have spoken to a senior executive from the Royalton Group who is now in the island. The ministry has been advised by the corporate management of the Royalton Group that normalcy returned to the facility today, following local-level talks with the staff to iron out the contentious issues,” said Charles.