HANOVER, Jamaica — Romani Watson has been working at Royalton Negril since the hotel opened its doors in 2017, but on March 6 of this year, he was allegedly injured from a fall on the job.

The young man, who has reportedly been recuperating from a fractured hip bone and injury to his back and has a more than $300,000 corrective surgery bill, joined via video call to stand in solidarity with his colleagues who on Monday took to the streets in protest against several issues impacting them at the hotel.

Watson, speaking with Observer Online, alleges that since the accident, apart from some support from his supervisor and two others, he has been getting little assistance despite a written report provided to the management team detailing his plight.

“Mi sit down at mi yard. Mi not getting pay. Nothing at all. Nobody nuh call. Mi have mi family. Mi have mi youth dem fi take care of. The only thing dem ah tell mi about is insurance,” he lamented.

Watson, who also disclosed that he has sought advice from the labour board, said his health has become a challenge.

“You know that all my money is going into doctor bills because I have to be dealing with a bone specialist and therapy. Mi feel pain every night. If I stand up on my foot, I feel pain,” stated Watson who said he was told that the surgery is a must despite him letting the specialist know that he does not have the money.

Efforts to reach the hotel’s management were futile.

On Monday the workers protested over what they say are poor treatment of staff, inadequate pay and being overworked, among other things.

“This is not Royalton Negril. It is Royal slavery,” the protestors argued.

One worker, Amal James, suggested that there is a need for the hospitality industry to be unionised, “where we can voice the concern and get things done.”

“Most of the time, you cannot talk for your right. When you check your pay and you talk about it, nothing at all they can do about it. So, they just have an iron fist on you and deal with you as they please,” stated James.

James said since the hotel started electronic payment of salaries, some workers have yet to receive their pay for the past month and a half.

READ: WATCH: Hotel workers at Royalton Negril continue protest action

Another worker, Jason Griffith, alleged that staff are mistreated by hotel guests who are irritated by insufficient amenities provided by the hotel.

“They can’t buy the basic amenities for the guests to use and when you go to the guest, they slam the door in your face and tell you all kind of something. When you rebel about it, they (management) make it seem like we are the problem and they sit one side and push you one side,” stated Griffith.

Griffith also complained about insufficient uniforms provided.

“Most hotels give their workers three or four uniforms. We get two uniforms. So, you see when mi guh home, mi haffi mek sure mi wash it fi tomorrow and you see if rainfall, mi haffi put it behind a fridge or something to dry. That is nonsense. We need more uniform,” stated Griffith.

A guest from the United Kingdom who gave her name as Lisa Rodriguez, said she is in full support of the workers’ call for better.

“I believe that the treatment of the staff is disgusting. I think the staff deserves better pay. They deserve to have drink and food during the day. It shouldn’t be that they have to pay for their own food and their own drink. This is not acceptable. They are not allowed to take their own water in, how is that acceptable? We are in 2024. We are not in the old days where people got nothing,” argued Rodriguez, who has two more weeks on vacation at the hotel.

“They (hotel workers) treat us with respect. They are amazing to us. They are caring and considerate. They are a credit to themselves and the way they are being treated is not acceptable,” added Rodriguez to a round of applause and gratitude from the protesting workers.

The 573-room property which was open to the public in 2017 currently has more than 1,000 employees.

– Anthony Lewis.