Yzabelle Bostyn
A NEW nationwide ranking has been launched to help tourists pick hotels based on how well they treat their employees.
When people go on holiday, they normally pick their accommodation based on the convenient location, the number of stars or the facilities.
Most never even consider the way the hotel staff are treated, but Spanish trade unions are hoping to change that.
Photo: Unsplash Valeriia Bugaiova
The Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) and Workers’ Union (UGT) have launched a new ‘Fair Hotels’ certification which guarantees workers are treated fairly in hotels and tourist lets.
It comes amidst a nationwide movement calling for socially sustainable tourism and warnings from the UK government likening working in Ibiza chiringuitos to ‘modern slavery’.
Representatives from both trade unions met with the Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, where they shared the ‘Fair Hotels’ (HLR).
The system was developed in partnership with the University of Malaga and Hereu, to push for ‘socially sustainable’ tourism.
“The idea is to give hotels a good reputation and make them recommendable because they offer great working conditions,” said Jose Maria Martinez, General Secretary of CCOO.
The project, ‘Just and Responsible Employer Hotels’, was started in 2019 but suffered setbacks as a result of the pandemic.
University of Malaga researchers began developing a series of indicators to show the relationship between hotels and their workers.
These include trade union representation, work contracts, ratio of full to part-time workers, rotas, health and security, opportunities for professional growth, equal opportunities, diversity and gender pay equity.
Following a trial period in which 34 hotels were accredited, any tourist accommodation can apply for HLR recognition through the project website.
To achieve the certification, the establishments must be subjected to an external audit carried out by Bureau Veritas.
Once granted, the certification lasts for two years, subject to review.
“We don’t only certify hotels but also aparthotels, spas and hostels,” said a UGT representative.
Spain isn’t the only country to boast such a system.
First established in the USA, the initiative has now spread to Canada, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Croatia and Slovenia.
Although Spain receives the second largest amount of international tourists in the world, behind France, citizens are growing increasingly frustrated with the sector’s uninterrupted growth.
“The workload has increased a lot, but the workforce has not. Profits are improving but the working conditions are not,” said the UGT.
It is hoped the scheme will push hotels to comply with labor laws and improve employee wellbeing.
