Better treatment, not importation, solution to tourism worker shortage
THERE IS a labour shortage in the tourism industry and by all accounts there is an urgent need to address it before it impacts the delivery of service. Some have called for the immediate importation of workers to fill the gap. However, I question the soundness of this approach and await acceptable answer to convince me to support this call.
On importing labour, I posed three questions in my November 2023 State of the Nation:
1. How much will imported workers be paid compared to Jamaicans, and in what currency?
2. What benefits will be given to imported workers to cause them to see Jamaica as a lucrative option to relocate?
3. Where will these imported workers live?
PAY THE TOURISM WORKER
If the imported worker is paid more than the Jamaican worker and possibly in hard currency, then I say “pay the Jamaican worker the same and maybe she will not see migration as the only path to a livable wage and decent life”.
Howard Mitchell, former president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), recently said, “If you think you are going to get anybody from anywhere – and I say this not in a denigratory fashion – except Haiti, and pay them $400 an hour, I have news for you. And if you pay them more than that, people would tear down the country.” I have often posited if you take care of Jamaicans, they will take care of the industry. Our focus must be for the lives of our people to be improved, to move the working class to the middle class. Jamaican tourism workers need to be better paid.
Better life and better earnings are main factors for Jamaicans migrating in droves. Everyone wants a fair opportunity to earn and live a decent life. When I speak to some who are seeking to migrate, the number one reason is “I want to earn some money to build a house and provide for my children”.
A government’s duty is t o provide an enabling environment for investors while ensuring the fundamentals are i n place t o guarantee workers a livable wage. If the measurement of success is always boasting about how many tourists visit Jamaica or how many more new hotel rooms without being able to boast about how much more the ordinary workers earn to allow them to move from struggling to make ends meet to earning a livable wage, then the government is failing. A three-legged stool can’t stand on only two legs. All three must balance and operate at the same time. It is time the workers receive the same level of priority as businesses.
EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
If the imported worker stands to receive benefits like permanent employment as opposed to fixed term contracts which is now prevalent in the industry, full health insurance, vacation leave and a pension, then I say “give the same to the Jamaican worker who wants to make his life better and that of his family with the security of a permanent job with the requisite benefits”. If we are willing to make it attractive for workers to come to Jamaica, then make it attractive for Jamaicans.
In consultation with the industry and a review of the editorial of January 21, it is clear we have to work together to find solutions. The government must now review employment laws including redundancy procedures as they need amendment to better facilitate the growth of any business or the development of a modern and fit-for-purpose labour force. As I demand better for workers I demand better for employers, and now call on the government to make this a priority for the sake of our most vital industry.
As I call for better treatment for the workers in the industry, I call on the workforce to deliver at a consistently high standard worthy of that treatment. My support for workers is on the basis that they must deliver professional service. As Jamaicans say ‘one hand can’t clap’. Tourism can’t be delivered in a one-sided way. The growth that is expected demands increased delivery of service equal to global standards. We won’t grow by maintaining current standards. We must raise the bar and increase our level of service delivery in order to attract higher value product and naturally higher wages.
HOUSING
If the imported worker is provided housing, then I say “provide housing to the Jamaican worker who is currently living outside the tourism belt but can’t afford to relocate”. In my state of the nation address last year, I raised this issue and called for an immediate investment policy where investors building hotels of a certain size are required to provide housing for workers. I considered this necessary because in many instances the pool from which to find new workers is outside of the tourism belt, thereby increasing the demand for affordable housing. I recommend a high-density design and operation similar to the 138 Student Living model at the UWI Mona, and I once again call on the government to consider this as a model to replicate.
There are about 22,000 hotel rooms in Jamaica and there is insufficient labour. For these labour demands to be met, new workers will have to come from other parts of Jamaica. Therefore, government must find ways to facilitate the movement of workers to meet the labour needs. On the immediate horizon there will be 753 rooms at RIU Falmouth, 998 rooms at Princess in Negril and almost 1,700 rooms at Hardrock in Montego Bay. If the ratio of 1:1 is applied, there is need for an additional 3,451 workers over the next two years. This will require relocation of people, thereby increasing the demand for housing. Areas like Hague, Salt Marsh, Sandy Bay and Green Island, based on their proximity to the new developments, should be considered for housing.
At a recent groundbreaking for a tourism product which will bring with it additional need for workers and housing, the prime minister mentioned that the government is now looking to partner with the TEF to build out ‘social housing solutions’ for tourism workers. With all due respect, what is required is more that social housing; there is a massive need for largescale housing for workers. The PM must go further to expand his plan and build high-density solutions (300-plus units) for reasons of land use and cost efficiency. It would be unwise to build low-density, smallscale solutions because the need is significant and urgent.
We have seen significant urban migration as a result of tourism development, resulting in many informal settlements. Those who take the chance and build end up being called squatters because the government didn’t properly plan the development of communities to facilitate said migration. The recommendation I make for dedicated housing is to prevent the further proliferation of informal housing that tend to spring up usually in proximity to resort developments.
WHAT IS NEEDED?
If tourism is supposed to be the major foreign exchange earner for Jamaica, then it has to be an all-government effort to ensure that the industry is properly equipped. In the immediate term, there are two key areas that must hold tourism as a priority. These are education and training and labour.
If the additional need of 3,451 workers in various capacities must be met, then a review of labour policies in addition to short- and longterm training solutions is vital. The training required in the immediate term demands a more robust partnership with the industry operators along with HEART and community colleges. An urgent revamp of training modules to suit the current needs is necessary and will be achieved when the respective ministries are operating with the same priority. While I demand better pay for workers I also demand more modern labour relations and policies that facilitate businesses without infringing on the rights of employees.
If these ministries do not have tourism as a priority in their development plans, then the success we seek will elude us. We have for decades approached our development in a piecemeal way and so we continue to scratch the surface of our potential. It is not up to the minister of tourism on his own to develop, support or celebrate tourism and its successes. If it is the industry to take Jamaica forward, then it has to be treated as an agreed government policy that is implemented across all areas. Immediately, there must be a symbiotic relationship developed with Tourism, Labour & Social Security along with Education & Training in order for Jamaica to have a chance of meeting the needs of the tourism industry on which so many lives are dependent.