NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY 22 APRIL 2003
"TOURIST INDUSTRY NEEDS TO BE UNIONISED" SAYS STUC
Speaking to a meeting of Trade Union activists in Wick, Caithness, STUC General Secretary, Bill Speirs, said:
"The commitment which Labour has made to improve standards in the tourism and hospitality industry is very welcome - this is a very important industry, not least in areas such as Caithness and Sutherland.
"However, this initiative must have improvements in labour standards at the top of the agenda. Far too much of the industry is still characterised by low wages and little or no training for staff, which in turn results in poor service for customers.
"There is a real challenge here for the trade union movement, to recruit and organise these workers. The more the hospitality industry is unionised, the better it will be for the workers and for the people they serve. "
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Bill Speirs is on a speaking tour of Caithness and Sutherland, visiting a range of workplaces and union branches.