GLOBAL HOUSEKEEPING CAMPAIGN20th August 2014 Manila

Background

New trends seriously attack housekeepers’ health & safety

Survey/personal interviews on health and safety issues of hotel housekeeping workers, focusing on three hotel chains: Accor, Hilton and Rezidor in 2009 and 2010

IUF Congress in May 2012 IUF HRCT Trade Group Board Meeting in

November 2012 Official campaign launch in May 2013 at IUF EC

meeting

Campaign

Campaign Aims

To denounce these conditions of work to global political and labour organizations in our sphere (ILO - UNWTO)

To identify “good practices” which can serve as examples, so that we can clearly see those companies with the worst conditions of work on which to target our organising resources to remedy that situation.

Through our website, to dedicate a specific page where we will keep this demand alive as a key element to generate discussion among affected workers.

To improve the working conditions of these workers.

Campaign Aims

To identify specific cases which clearly support our concerns, taking examples from each region to show the global nature of this threat.

To increase union membership and activism amongst housekeepers in each IUF region.

Campaign Aims

Regional Activities done so far IUF A/P HRCT Meeting in Manila (Sep 2013) Global survey on cover of collective agreement, legal

retirement, working conditions, employment status with regional questionnaires of the number of permanent and precarious housekeepers and room quota (Oct 2013)

Set up of global campaign team (Dec 2013) Jointly exposure of the Campaign in the region on IWD

2014 Jointly actions in Pakistan, India, Indonesia and Korea

(Apr 2014) Set up of regional campaign team (July 2014)

Why Housekeepers?

Health and safety as an organizing tool Findings form global survey 2013

gap between normal retirement age and early leaving job for health reasons, which put housekeepers in poverty and vulnerable status

Outsourcing is an increasing problem worldwide

Country (A/P)

Normal retirement age

Age leaving job for health reasons

Years lost

India 58 40-48 10-18

Indonesia 50 45 5

Philippines

60 40-60 0-20

Why Housekeepers?

Hard labor and high risk rates of pain & injury - hotel housekeeper's job requires an athlete's fitness Work strain of various activities (MET)-Sitting quietly 1.0; Light cycling 4.0; Light ball game 6.0 Brisk walking at 6km/hr 4.5; Hotel cleaning 5.3

*The MET rating (metabolic equivalent) represents the increased energy consumption caused by muscle use compared to rest, which is represented by the value 1.0 on the scale.

Why Housekeepers?

ILO definition of housekeepers (Good Practices Guide for Guesthouses and Small Hotels, 2012)

But in reality? Undervalued job category Higher rates of outsourced department Higher rates of earlier retirement for health reasons

Housekeeper; refers to person responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the guestroom, toilet and public areas of the hotel or guesthouse

- Tips: Housekeeping personnel plays an important part of the accommodation business. Without them working as a team with the front desk staff your business will be disrupted

Housekeeper; refers to person responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the guestroom, toilet and public areas of the hotel or guesthouse

- Tips: Housekeeping personnel plays an important part of the accommodation business. Without them working as a team with the front desk staff your business will be disrupted

Why Housekeepers?

Hotel industry (esp. room business) in general Selling guest rooms (expectation of higher

turnover/occupancy rate) on hotel side Cleanliness, neat, friendly, convenience, fully

restful, adequate service comparative to cost on guest side

What about on workers side?

Hotel industry in the Philippines Tourist destination Sustainable tourism = stable status of employment

incl. rights to work in healthy conditions, less stress/workloads preventing from health & safety related diseases and retirement

Contribution to workers/local communities with fair distribution

Inconvenient Truth

Why housekeeping department was usually outsourced at an earlier stage?

Easy access to job means low quality, low confidence and low dignity job?

Discrimination/bias against housekeeping job? How to overcome against the employers’ strategy to

split workers by comparing job categories? Imagine! What if housekeepers stop their work?

Union density = Bargaining power Weak collective bargaining power means relatively

less impacts on hotel business when taking collective actions Lotte Hotel Workers’ Strike for 74 days in Seoul in 2000

To get together with vulnerable/marginalized workers To revitalize union power from the basic by

relieving/improving outsourced workers’ poor working conditions, which resulted in unionizing

To build up and strengthen workers’ solidarity internally/downwards by breaking the sense of discrimination against co-workers Three cows and one lion

Regional Campaign Team Participating countries: Indonesia, Pakistan, India,

Korea plus To implement global housekeeping campaign in the

region and win the aims by following up any decisions and action plans, etc.

Target hotels Melia, Rezidor, Accor (Global) Shangri-la, Oberoi, (Intercontinental, Hyatt) (Asia/Pacific)

Next skype call: 26th August 2014

Regional Campaign Team 4 months’ action plan

Indonesia - mapping on key issues/demands from FSPM (non)affiliates, collecting housekeepers’ profiles, socializing, identifying OHS issues (body map), workshop/ meetings targeting housekeepers

India – permanency issues targeting 300 precarious workers at Oberoi hotel by setting up action committee with fully support of permanent workers’ union, rally and leafleting to guests, workers’ media, etc. in solidarity with union favorable NGOs

Joint actions (late this year or early next year) Regional common slogan (i.e. Safe working conditions for

all housekeepers; No More Pain!; Permanency Now!)