GOVERNMENT Senator Kavan Gayle, in a wide-ranging presentation on the evolving labour market landscape and the protection of workers’ rights, on Friday threw his full support behind tourism workers, particularly the employees of luxury hotel Royalton Negril who last month protested about poor working conditions.

The protest, which resulted in the immediate suspension of the general manager and the subsequent seperation of a senior manager from the entity this month, saw workers raising concern about the poor treatment of staff by the management, inadequate pay, and being overworked, among other things.

“As a trade unionist I stand with the Royalton Hotel employees in their recent industrial action, advocating for fair wages, better employment terms, and respectful treatment,” Gayle said as he opened the State of the Nation debate in the Senate on Friday.

Gayle, who dedicated a significant portion of his speech to advocate for workers in the tourism industry, which he deemed the lifeblood of the economy, stressed that multinational hotel chains, including Royalton, should adhere to labour standards and provide competitive, liveable wages to their workforce.

He argued that corporations must recognise their duty to sustain ethical and globally competitive wage structures, particularly in regions with economic challenges.

“Multinationals must uphold both local and international labour standards, ensuring fair working hours, equitable treatment, safe workplaces, and representation rights. Demonstrating respect for labour standards fosters job satisfaction, productivity, and ethical practices in the workplace,” he said.

Gayle suggested that regulatory bodies should monitor multinational corporations closely, holding accountable those that fail to meet fair labour standards.

He noted, however, that he believes the Royalton “is a very strong brand in the tourism industry, and I wish them the best in their rebound from that episode”.

Gayle further lamented that workers in the tourism sector often face precarious employment conditions, such as low wages, long hours, and limited benefits. Therefore, he argued, efforts need to be made towards better terms and conditions of employment for tourism workers, including fair wages, access to health care, job security, and career development opportunities. This, he said, would reduce turnover and enhance service quality.

He stressed that the Government should strengthen labour protections, enforce minimum wage standards reflective of the cost of living, and prevent exploitative practices in the hospitality industry.

“As a matter of fact, [for] what our tourism workers offer in terms of service to the sector, no employee should be paid at the rate of minimum wage. I am strongly suggesting that a threshold should be set as earnings for workers in the tourism industry. Secondly, I believe in the context of earnings in the service — and for their own return on investment we should consider a portion of total earnings in foreign exchange in the form of a performance incentive,” he said.

He said it is essential that labour rights are enhanced within the tourism sector and that this can be achieved by implementing stronger regulations around working conditions, particularly around fair pay, safety, and non-exploitative contracts.

In the meantime, Gayle also called on all Jamaicans to support the ongoing efforts to promote the rights and welfare of domestic workers.

“These invaluable members of our workforce deserve the same rights, protections, and respect as any other category of worker. Together, we must turn our legal frameworks into daily realities that safeguard their well-being and advance their social and economic standing,” he said.

He noted that while the Government has demonstrated ongoing commitment to these workers, having strengthened protections and rights including updating the national minimum wage and, notably, ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) in 2016, thus affirming the right of household workers to organise and negotiate collectively, challenges still remain.