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Exploitative working conditions an industry-wide problem
The Big Four operators are listing hotels that exploit local workers according to Tourism Concern, but it doesn’t stop at the developing world.
The organisation, which campaigns for ethical and fair-traded tourism, undertook a study of working conditions in five popular tourist destinations – Bali, Cancun, Canary Islands, Egypt and Dominican Republic.
It claims to have uncovered exploitative conditions including long hours, unpaid overtime, lack of secure contracts, poor training and over-dependency on tips, at various hotels and resorts – all of which are listed in the brochures of the Big Four operators.
Tourism Concern launched its campaign against abusive labour conditions last week. The “Sun, Sand, Sea and Sweatshops” campaign invites the public to sign postcards addressed to the Big Four, telling them that holidaymakers will not book holidays with operators that exploit people on the holidaymakers’ behalf.
Campaign manager Guyonne James told TravelMole the problem is widespread: “We could have picked any of the hotels in the tour operators’ brochures and we would have found the same thing.
“This issue is not just a problem in developing countries, it is an industry-wide issue and a global issue. Look at travel agents and the wage they start on – you can’t do much with £11,000 or £12,000 a year salary in London, and even less outside London.”
Tourism Concern held its AGM this weekend and organised a workshop at last week’s European Social Forum, in which it invited four representatives of the tourist trade from various developing countries including Gambia and Egypt, to speak about the reality of working in the industry.
The Tourism Concern postcards are being distributed in various magazines of Fair Trade organisations, Unions and religions. The cards are also available online at www.tourismconcern.org.uk.
“The awareness raising part is the postcard campaign, but we also want people to ask tour operators questions about working conditions in their resorts.”
But she added: “The problem is that operators have no idea because they don’t monitor and evaluate their workforce and can’t tell us whether people are suffering down the supply chain.
“Basic human rights are being broken in all the destinations we visited.”
Report by Ginny McGrath
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