ROSE HALL, St James — While unwelcome, the spate of recent protests in the tourism sector has not left industry officials flat-footed, according to senior strategist and advisor in the Ministry of Tourism Delano Seiveright.

He assured that a long-term fix, which includes improved communication by hotel management, is actively being pursued.

“The truth is that we had expected further action following the issues at Royalton, so we are not in any way surprised,” Seiveright told the Jamaica Observer on Friday outside the gates of Iberostar, the scene of the latest protest.

“We have actually been on the inside of some of the hotels having conversations to resolve some of the issues,” he disclosed.

It all began when guests were left to fend for themselves after staff walked off the job at Royalton Negril on October 21. The general manager was suspended in the immediate aftermath and workers’ gripes about low wages and being overworked were addressed.

On November 12, staff at Secrets and Breathless resorts staged a protest in Freeport, Montego Bay, complaining of similar issues and a worsening of relations since the properties changed hands. They returned to work after being assured that long-time benefits would remain.

Then on Friday, workers at Iberostar in Rose Hall, St James, took to the streets outside that property.

“Many of these issues really come down to communication and the need for open, honest and frank dialogue between staff and management at all times,” asserted Seiveright.

He said there had been a “good discussion” between management and staff of Iberostar and the areas of concern were discussed in great detail.

“There are going to be some issues that cannot be fixed overnight, and we accept that, but we are having open, frank and honest dialogue and that is where we are now,” Seiveright said.

Among the issued resolved was workers’ concerns about recent changes in how their hours are calculated for the payroll system. Employees were worried that they were not being fairly compensated.

“We had a conversation with Iberostar’s management and owners in Spain and we have fixed the payroll system,” assured Seiveright.

After the discussions, most workers ended their placard-waving protest but a handful of them reportedly went to a meeting at the Ministry of Labour office in Montego Bay.

For many, concerns about compensation were their most pressing reason for Friday’s protest.

“The way how we a get pay, I can’t even drop a partner like how I use to drop partner. I can’t even pay my bills. Day before yesterday my light cut off and I had to take my last dime run go pay the light bill because I didn’t want my grandmother in the darkness,” a woman who gave her name as Marissa told the Observer.

She said she travels from outside the parish daily and whenever she misses the staff bus she has to pay a significant amount for transportation or find creative ways to get to work.

“Sometimes, I have to boom truck [hitch a ride] to go to work or sometimes it’s people that know me that I get drive from to come to work,” she lamented.

For her fellow worker, the situation has become untenable.

“We are sick and tired of the pay. The Iberostar that I used to know, it’s no longer that. Guests are still coming in; they are making money. So why not give the staff what they deserve?” she asked angrily.

In a press release on Friday, Opposition spokeswoman on tourism Senator Janice Allen called for calm following the latest protest. While expressing her support for workers, she acknowledged the challenges faced by investors.