Who Are Hotel Workers?
The tourism and hospitality industries account for approximately 10% of worldwide GDP and employ around 10% of the global workforce. Within this sector, hotels play a critical role in expanding employment opportunities to under-served communities. Hotels typically employ a younger and more female workforce than do other businesses, providing key opportunities to groups ill-served by labor markets. Many migrant workers find employment in the hotel industry, as do LBTQI+ people. In their workplaces, these workers become the face of the country to tourists, business travelers, and other visitors.
In the developing world, hotel jobs can offer transformative opportunities. In places where informal work predominates, hotels provide an inroad to formal employment. Through their work and managerial investments in training, hotel employees acquire skills in various facets of operations. However, Hotel workers face a range of challenges in their jobs. Working conditions and compensation are often poor, while instances of gender-based violence and harassment of hotel workers by management and guests are all-too common.
Hotel workers across the world have formed robust unions, despite endemic management surveillance and retaliation, and have made great progress in improving the quality of their jobs. United under the umbrella of the IUF, these unions have led successful campaigns to address issues ranging from limitations on their freedom to form unions to gender-based violence and harassment.
Meet Lwendo Mushima.
My name is Lwendo Mushima, and I'm a cook at Ciela Resort, a Marriott property in Zambia. I was born and raised in Lusaka, and I am a single mother raising a daughter who is about to attend university. I joined the union because we were not being paid fair wages, and because I wanted a permanent employment contract and more job security. When a number of us signed up for the union in January 2021, we felt intimidated and were afraid to be vocal about our involvement. It took our union and the international union, IUF, a year to negotiate a fair process with our employer and the IFC so they would hold union elections at our property. This finally happened in March 2023, and we now have a recognized union. I was elected a union delegate, and I am proud to represent my coworkers as we negotiate permanent contracts and wage increases. The union, banks and employers can work together to create better jobs in our industry.
