Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire, asserting that the industry that makes the most money cannot pay the least cash to workers, has urged better treatment for tourism industry employees.
“If this is the industry that is generating the most revenue, that’s creating the most economic activity, it has to treat our workers better,” Hilaire declared.
Earlier this week, he spoke with Calixte George Jr during the Choice Television programme, ‘State Of The Nation’.
“There are no two ways about it. We have to train our workers more and hotels and other properties must invest more in our human capital and they must compensate them better. We have to lobby for that. We have to argue for it – we must agitate for it because the industry has to treat the workers better,” the Castries South MP declared.
“It’s the only way our workers can continue to produce higher levels of service and to do so in a manner in which visitors that come to our shores will want to come back because they see the best of our people,” the Minister explained.
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There should enact a minimum wage for the hospitality workers . To much talk and no action . Take for example some of the hotels are expanding from one property to three but over 95 percent of the hotel workers rent all their lives …
You hit the nail on the head @Mad max. Expand from 1 to 3.. I know which hotel chain u refer to and the same Ministers who will make these statement will be having lunch with them discussing duty free concessions but not discuss salaries/compensation. Non – political conment because I have witness both administration doing the same. He should also add that this is the same industry that has the most dismissed employees because of theft – from the highest position to the lowest. More evidence that we don’t get paid well enough. Fix it Minister! You know you can! Just have to say the word – they get most things free anyway- pays the less taxes and has the most concessions – puts all the profit in their pockets and not give back to society or the economy.
The tourist industry workers need to be unionized to protect them from exploitation and bargain for better working conditions. This is not the job or responsibility of the Minister of Tourism.
Managers get from 50 to 300 dollars an hour for doing nothing off the blood and sweat of the average staff who make 3 dollars an hour for hard work and long hours
Mad max you are very correct
It clearly show that the 2 political parties have failed the workforce for the past 50 years all they do is talk and having westerners came here to exploit people and build hotels on all our beaches and then call that progress
Everyone of the comments on here have hit nails on heads!!! I am in agreement with everyone. What does that say? Majority rules!!
I always maintain that this “tourism industry” is a fickle one. I sincerely hope (what?) Hilaire (who is full of empty words) puts his money where his mouth is … in that order.
Those politicians and ministers of government have no power as it is the plantocracy and the elites that are in control . The minster do not have the capacity to create the environmental so the hospitality workers can prosper and make progress . They just talk to fool the people how can you have over 95 percent of hotel workers earning 200 dollars and 2 points service charge . That is a great shame
I am pleading and crying for a change in the industry because our children are suffering the consequences of this the low pay need to go