Moon Palace hotel moves to stave off industrial action

In an effort to stave off industrial action that is spreading across the tourism sector, the 731-room Moon Palace Jamaica hotel in Ocho Rios, St Ann has moved to implement a five-day work week, among other initiatives, to improve working conditions.

At a meeting on Thursday with Gibran Chapur, executive vice president of The Palace Company, and Clifton Reader, vice president of Jamaica and Turks and Caicos, workers voted to move from the current six-day work week to five days.

The change is to take effect in January 2025, a source told The Gleaner.

Additionally, steward sale access to all staff and laundry service for staff uniform will be implemented.

Moon Palace Jamaica employs close to 1,200 persons when the hotel is full.

In recent weeks, workers at several hotels in Jamaica's western and northern regions have taken industrial action to press demands for better salaries and working conditions.

Recently, there were whispers that workers at the five-star property could also resort to industrial action, following disruptions at two other hotels in St Ann last week, the Bahia Principe and the Jewel Paradise Cove, both in Runaway Bay.

To coincide with the new work schedule in January, staff members will get their annual pay increase which has been the norm since the hotel opened a decade ago, the source confirmed.

Usually, the increase is announced by mid-January, with retroactive payment dating back to January 1.

But with staff to go on a five-day work week, there will be some changes to how gratuity, which the staff earns in addition to their salaries, will be disbursed, it was revealed.

With a five-day work week, there will be a drop in man hours and the hotel will have to employ additional workers.

“What this means is that the hotel will now be forced to employ more workers to fill the gap in man hours. Subsequently, gratuity will have to be shared among more employees and so will reflect a small decrease to each person. Basic pay packages will not be affected by this new work schedule,” it was learnt.

Workers at Moon Palace enjoy a long list of benefits that have been in place for several years.

This includes life and health insurance, end-of-year bonus, bonus gratuity, which is paid three times per year, vacation with pay and sick pay.

- Carl Gilchrist 

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.