Minister visits restaurants and hotel |01 March 2014

The minister responsible for labour Idith Alexander recently visited two restaurants and a small hotel on Mahé as she continues her tours of establishments in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

This last visit took in the Asian Fusion Restaurant at Au Cap, La Plaine St Andre and the Takamaka Bay Distillery also located at Au Cap and the Crown Beach Hotel at Pointe Au Sel.

Accompanied by high officials from her ministry, Ms Alexander first visited the Asian Fusion Restaurant where they were greeted by general manager Tajudeen Mohamed. As with other visits, a guided tour was given of the establishment where the ministerial delegation met and spoke to staff members.

During the debriefing session with the restaurant’s management team and staff which followed, Minister Alexander informed them that being a newly opened establishment, the restaurant was bound to encounter certain issues. However, her ministry would give them all the support and assistance they need in terms of staff recruitment to overcome these problems.

The minister also encouraged them to employ the services of private employment agencies to outsource casual workers when the restaurant hosts several functions at the same time.

To address the cultural differences of the staff, management were advised to communicate regularly with their staff so that they can work together to eliminate any misunderstandings that may arise. This could be achieved through regular staff meeting.

The second visit was to the La Plaine St Andre restaurant and distillery where the managing director, Richard D’Offay, and the operations manager, Andy Pothin, greeted the minister and her delegation. After a guided tour of the premises during which the minister noted the high staff retention rate and the good camaraderie among the staff members, who are 100% Seychellois, a debriefing was conducted.  

The minister remarked that it was good to see that the organisation has taken on students on the Tertiary and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

She also encouraged the management team to keep up their good work and share their best practices, particularly staff welfare, with other human resource professionals in the private sector.

For the last part of the visit, the ministerial delegation went to the Crown Beach Hotel where they were met by general manager Alice Tirant. During a tour of the establishment, all of the staff members spoken to were happy with their working conditions. The minister also noted that although the hotel is new, a number of the staff working there have over 10 years of experience in the tourism industry.

As the hotel is fairly new, the discussions for the debriefing focused around staff welfare, recruitment of highly trained staff and tertiary training opportunities, with the minister pledging her ministry’s support and assistance.

It was also recommended that the hotel becomes a member of the HR Forum where it can learn of the practices being employed in other establishments in the tourism sector.

The management team informed the minister that they believe the Employment Training Scheme is a fantastic initiative and look forward to participating in the programme.

The minister ended by informing them all that staff members have to take their responsibility towards work seriously. In order to promote this concept, her ministry will be implementing an education campaign that addresses values, attitudes and productivity in the work place.

The accompanying photographs show Minister Alexander and her team during the visits.