Purkiss unhappy with the treatment of tourism workers post Hurricane Melissa

Western Bureau:

Andrea Purkiss, the opposition People’s National Party’s (PNP) spokesperson on tourism, says she is deeply troubled by the way workers in the tourism industry have been treated since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which caused major damage to hotels and left many workers without jobs.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Purkiss, who is also the member of parliament (MP) for Hanover Eastern, said that with some hotels now closed to facilitate repairs, many workers have been left unemployed without any clear indication as to when some of their properties will resume operations.

“The hotels did not fall to the ground, its mainly cosmetic repairs that are needed,” said Purkiss, in raising concerns about the length of time some hotels announced they would be closed for.

“Some hotels had started refurbishing exercises without total closure before the passing of the hurricane but, since then, the volume of closure and job losses has been devastating.”

Purkiss declared that “the hunger has started” as she noted that, in discussions with some of the laid off tourism workers, she has found out that many are now struggling to put food on their tables.

CONTRACT WORKERS

She said many of the workers were employed on contract and not full-time staff, so they do not enjoy the security of tenure, which would guarantee them employment when normalcy returns.

“It seems to be a game that some of the establishments are playing, and it’s not beneficial to the workforce,” said Purkiss, who fears that some of the workers will not get back their jobs.

Purkiss is also peeved by the fact that some of the hotels are not keeping in contact with their permanent workers, leaving them to navigate the hardships created by the passage of the hurricane on their own.

“Some permanent workers have expressed the view that they feel like their workplaces are using the opportunity (the dislocation caused by the hurricane) to get rid of them with a view of rehiring them as contract workers,” said Purkiss.

“The hurricane issue is highlighting the suffering right now, which is leading to a greater story about the Jamaican workers who are the backbone of the industry,” she continued.

“I believe that we need to have a new conversation as it relates to local employees in the hospitality industry, and that’s a conversation I want to have with the Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett.”

HAMPERING QUALIFIED JAMAICANS

In fact, Purkiss is of the view that expatriates are enjoying better treatment than the locals to the extent that it is even hampering qualified Jamaicans from moving up the administrative ladder in some hotels.

“I believe that we now need to sit and look at how we employ hospitality workers,” said Purkiss, noting that some expatriates even reside in the hotels and are being treated like guests.

Purkiss is also lamenting the length of time for which some hotels have announced that they will be closed, noting that the longer they are closed, the longer the misery of unemployment will continue for the displaced workers.

“What do we do to all these workers who were on contract or even on straight unemployment?” asked Purkiss, who hinted that some hotels stand to lose some of their most experienced workers who might just go off and seek other jobs.

Purkiss is calling for the tourism minister to have dialogue with the operators of the large hotel establishments to see what can be done to have their properties re-open earlier than projected so that the workers can get back to work.

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