Hotel workers laid off during pandemic seek government protection of jobs

VICTORIA B.C. hotel workers are calling on government to protect jobs lost during the COVID -19 pandemic.

The province should introduce legislation to ensure hospitality employees, such as front-desk clerks, housekeepers, food servers, banquet workers, cooks and dishwashers, get the first right to return to the jobs they lost during the pandemic, said Zailda Chan, president of Unite Here Local 40, which represents hotel workers.

“There are 50,000 hotel workers provincewide who are at risk of losing their jobs if the province does not ensure their legal right to return to their jobs after the industry recovers,” she said.

More than 70 union members demonstrated outside the B.C. legislature Tuesday, urging the NDP government to craft a law that would protect seniority and recall rights for up to 24 months.

The government has extended provisions to employers that allow them to temporarily lay off employees without paying severance until Aug. 30. The move was requested by B.C.’s business community, which said many businesses hit by the economic closures caused by the pandemic would face bankruptcy if they had to come up with cash to pay the legally required severances.

But the temporary layoff extension did not include legal protections to guarantee a laid off employee gets first right of refusal to return to a job when the business recovers, said Chan.

Hotels have been particularly hard hit by the border closures, international tourism restrictions and bans on mass gatherings. Chan said workers understand and don’t want to add any financial burden onto businesses. “We don’t expect hotels to bring back staff when there’s no business — that isn’t what we’re asking for,” she said. “It’s just that whenever tourists return and the borders reopen, that nobody who was working in these hotels for 20 to 30 years should be replaced by somebody who is new.”

Hospitality workers with collective agreements often have six- to 12-month recall clauses that protect seniority and benefits. But the six-month recall provisions in some contracts start to run out in September.

Labour Minister Harry Bains said Tuesday he is not considering legislation as proposed by the union, but hopes employers voluntarily rehire their staff. “We’ve been very clear that we never have any intentions to interfere with those who have collective agreements in place, negotiated in good faith between employers and workers,” Bains said.

“But we do expect employers to work with their employees because we are all in it together.”