Precarious Work Undermines Decent Work: The Unionized Hotel Workers’ Experience

Abstract

This paper determined the drivers and impact of precarious work on the hotel workers and their unions. Based on the proposition that precarious work undermines decent work, a descriptive study with the use of the survey method among 93 respondents from 12 unionized hotels was undertaken. Results showed that the main reason that drives the hotel management to resort to precarious work practices is to lower expenses or costs for salaries and benefits and increase profit. Precarious work has also significantly weakened the union as an organization since their membership continues to decline and their source of fund is reduced. Precarious employment prevents women workers from becoming regular employees, thus, they cannot become union members, and denies them of decent pay. The health and safety of precarious workers are at risk since they have multiple jobs in multiple outlets in the hotel and they are assigned to irregular or very limited hours of work and/or long work shifts/work days or work weeks. Therefore, precarious work creates insecurity and leads to increases in inequality and poverty, which undermines the principles of Decent Work. One strategic course of action to abate the prevalent practice of precarious work in the hotel industry is to amend or craft new laws that will give more protection to job security in the workplace.

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