I WISH TO DRAW to your attention the following statements attributed to two of our primary tourism executives in the Thursday, June 4, edition of the Daily Nation.
First, chief executive officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Sue Springer stated “that over 800 000 cruise passengers are expected to visit the island during next year’s season”.
Then it was also noted by the chairman of the BHTA, Sunil Chatrani, that there was a 14.8 per cent increase in visitor arrivals to Barbados’ shores for the year to date.
This certainly speaks well for our tourism product, but at what expense to the principal players in the industry, the workers? As president of the Council of Hotel & Restaurant Workers (of the Barbados Workers’ Union), it pains me greatly to see how we, the hard-working employees of this very important industry, are being treated, most times with little or no recognition.
The excellent service being given by these workers is a direct response to this 14.8 per cent increase in visitor arrivals to Barbados. If you are saying that the state of the tourism product is on the mend, then some mention ought to be made about the workers’ involvement, since it is our view that the employees in the industry are instrumental in achieving this noted increase.
Therefore, it is for that reason that we believe we are we not being treated with the respect we deserve and are being denied rewards for our efforts.
We are aware we cannot get what we truly deserve but we ask that you refrain from insulting our intelligence by offering us “the proverbial crumbs that fall from the master’s table”. Please be guided by your conscience.
– PHILLIP BOSTIC