Editorial
A Wake-up Call
Two protest actions in as many weeks havebrought to the fore issues regarding the rights of workers inthe tourism sector.
Last week, representatives of the National Alliance for CaymanIslands Employees (NACE) picketed the Hyatt Hotel, in a reactionto the dismissal of the union's president, who was employed tothe hotel.
This week, NACE has again organised workers in protest action,this time against the Beach Club Resort Hotel. Employees are protestingwhat is seen as unfair practices in the level of wages paid, lackof overtime pay for long hours and allegations that workers recruitedfrom Jamaica are required to pay some US$1,500 for their employment.
NACE, formed over a year ago, has thrust itself into the roleof advocate for the rights of these workers. The union says thatit has found many instances of conflict between employers andemployees, particularly in the tourism sector, and unwillingnesson the part of employers to engage employees or the union in anydiscussion regarding workers rights.
There are those who would view the union's role with suspicionand would seek to define its action as disruptive and distasteful,particularly to an image-sensitive industry such as tourism.
The fact is that elsewhere, in developed and developing countries,trade unions are responsible for many of the rights and privilegesthat workers enjoy and even take for granted. Caymanians who havemigrated to some of these places have themselves become beneficiariesof the gains made by the trade union movement.
Historically, trade unionism has proven to be a powerful forcein the fight for social justice and political change. In severalcountries, trade unions have given birth to political parties,and by extension the broadening of democracy in such countries.Even today, trade unions and other organisations representingworkers continue to play an important role in wage bargainingand securing other benefits on behalf of workers.
Where workers, particularly those with limited skills and educationfind themselves in situations where they cannot adequately representthemselves, it is left to organisations like NACE or staff associationsto provide the vital service of bringing their grievances to thefore and to the attention of those in authority.
It need not be an adversarial process.
Where protest action is carried out according to the law, thoseso demonstrating should be allowed to express themselves, as istheir right. The unions have a responsibility to resolve suchissues amicably, and in the interests of both worker and employer.
On the other hand, it is incumbent upon the employer to ensurethat workers are given their due and that their rights under therelevant labour laws are not abrogated.