Staff at Jewel Paradise Cove in Runaway Bay, St. Ann protested on Friday
Dr. Ryan Simpson, PNP caretaker for North East St. Ann, expressed solidarity with the workers.
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Tavis Gibbs, a worker at Jewel Runaway Bay Resort; Dr. Ryan Simpson, PNP caretaker for North East St. Ann; and Jewel employee Teejay Brown
Staff at Jewel Paradise Cove in Runaway Bay, St. Ann are the latest to take strike action to press for better wages and working conditions.
Initially, the staff, numbering about 200 people, staged a short-lived protest on the street in front of the property on Friday morning.
Tavis Gibbs, a worker who spoke with Radio Jamaica News, said staff are unhappy with the current wage of US$2.50 per hour, prolonged contractual work and substandard treatment including poor quality meals and a lack of transportation.
"The staff are saying that we want better facility, more money, better pay. We want a better treatment, we want uniform, we want a increase of everything...we want to be treated like a human being," he insisted.
Dr. Ryan Simpson, PNP caretaker for North East St. Ann, expressed solidarity with the workers and others who have protested over the last few weeks.
Dr. Simpson, who said he stopped to speak with the workers while en route to the by-election in Aenon Town, Clarendon, called for a 100 per cent wage increase for the workers.
He argued that "$2 an hour is a disgrace", noting that even with a 100 per cent increase, $4 per hour would still be well below the US minimum wage.
Radio Jamaica News was informed that a few hours later, the staff returned to the streets, reportedly to express displeasure with comments made by management during the meeting.
Following recent protests by hotel workers across several properties, the government says it will give consideration to establishing a joint industrial council for hotel workers.
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