Short-Term Contract System Under Fire in Tourism Sector
Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism and Linkages Andrea Purkiss is pressing the Government to discontinue the use of rolling short-term contracts within Jamaica’s hotel industry.
In outlining her position, Ms Purkiss stated that up to 90 per cent of hotel employees across the island are engaged on contracts lasting three, six, or twelve months.
Those arrangements, she argued, are repeatedly renewed rather than converted into permanent employment.
According to the Opposition representative, the system is deliberately utilised by large overseas-based hotel operators.
She said the approach is designed to prevent workers from qualifying for the employment protections guaranteed under the Employment (Termination and Redundancy Payments) Act of 1974.
The spokesperson further contended that Hurricane Melissa has brought renewed attention to the consequences of this employment structure.
Long-serving employees at the same properties, she noted, now face the prospect that contracts issued during the hurricane period may not be renewed.
That possibility, she indicated, highlights what she described as a long-standing injustice affecting hotel workers.
Concerns were also raised about access to benefits tied to national contributions.
Ms Purkiss stated that many workers who have consistently paid into the national insurance scheme are unable to properly benefit from it.
She added that the short-term contract arrangement has also limited workers’ ability to access bank loans or secure mortgages.
Her call centres on ending the contract system she says has disadvantaged thousands within Jamaica’s tourism workforce.
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