Labour-Minister stresses importance of workplace visits |18 September 2012

The Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development, Idith Alexander, has stressed that her visits to the different workplaces are important as her ministry wants to enhance the partnership with the private sector.

These visits also helps the ministry to understand how these organisations functions and what are the labour issues that needs to be addressed.

This came out in a communiqué from the ministry following a visit by the minister to the Coral Strand Hotel at Beau Vallon last week as part of her tours of different work organisations.

She was accompanied by her principal secretary Veronique Bresson and other high officials from her ministry.

Led by general manager Denis Verkhorubov and other members of the hotel’s executive committee, the ministerial delegation were taken on a guided tour of the hotel, starting with the rooms department, the maintenance department, administration, and the food and beverage department.

As had been the case with her previous visits, the minister was able to see the employees at work and interacted with them, and to check on their working conditions since it is within the mandate of her ministry to ensure there is good employer/employee relationship.

Overall there were no major issues raised at the hotel apart from termination of certain employees without following the correct procedures as prescribed by the Employment Act and the need for the hotel to put in place proper procedures for dealing with grievances.

Since the hotel’s executive committee also expressed the problem of staff retention, the minister proposed that they put in place some incentives so as to retain the employees.

On his side Mr Verkhorubov expressed his appreciation that the minister and her team had taken time to come and visit them and was thankful for the advice and suggestions put forward by the ministerial team to help improve working conditions of the hotel’s employees and thus promoting good employer/employee relationship.

The Coral Strand Hotel is a three-star tourism establishment. It was closed for a while to undergo major renovations. The hotel had a soft opening in April this year and the grand opening is scheduled for December this year. The hotel employs 155 people of whom 44 are expatriates.