The First Star – Ethical Luxury

The Australian Labor Party National Conference (held at the end of July, 2009) passed a motion supporting the work of The First Star. The motion calls on the tourism industry to adopt more ethical approaches to its environmental and labour standards.

Check out the resolution below:

National Conference notes that the tourism industry and its employees face challenges from the combined effects of the Global Recession and dangerous climate change.

Employees in the tourism industry already experience low wages and poor career paths, and are now being asked by many employers in the industry to carry the costs of downturns in tourism through lower wages and “WorkChoices” agreements.

This National Conference believes workers in these jobs need the protections provided by Labor’s Forward with Fairness policy. Labor’s new laws offer hope for these workers to bargain for higher productivity and better jobs.

Additionally, the tourism industry and accommodation hotels in particular have significant exposure to risks associated with climate change, including:

• reliance on international travel which will increase in cost as fossil fuels become scarcer;
• reliance on natural assets which may be threatened by climate change, including The Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu; and
• exposure in coastal and low-lying areas to erosion, rising sea levels and increases in dramatic weather events.

National Conference also notes that while some in the tourism industry have adopted “towel recycling” programs and self-accredited themselves as “green”, there is not currently widespread adoption of practices to reduce the environmental impact of their activities.

This National Conference calls on the tourism industry to adopt more ethical approaches to its environmental and labour standards. Labor believes the Australian community expects corporate citizens to treat their workers fairly and to do everything reasonably possible to minimise their impact on the environment.

Labor supports efforts to inform consumers about the labour and environment standards of accommodation hotels, including through the “First Star” initiative which encourages businesses to better reflect community expectations in relation to fair employment and action on climate change.

A BBC investigation has uncovered evidence of exploitation of migrant workers at some of London’s leading hotels.

The BBC sent in two undercover reporters to find out what it was really like to work in a high end hotel in London.

They uncovered issues which would sound very familiar to hotel workers in Australia; contract housekeeping, underpayments based on rooms not hours and lack of cleanliness.

Click here to see the report at BBC News.

Posted by Steven Miles, LHMU

I was in a meeting with Hilton management today and it felt like we were talking a different language.

We’re supposed to be negotiating a new agreement, one that should deliver a productivity increase for the hotel and a pay rise for workers. This is the brave new world of industrial relations, Rudd style, where we all sit in a room and find solutions to industries’ problems.

So I have suggested the workers get together and talk about what should change to make the Hilton a better hotel and a better place to work. I’ve suggested it should be the union’s role to facilitate that. In fact we’ve proposed an extensive and proactive process to achieve an outcome both workers and management can be happy with.

Their adviser, from the same employer union that lobbied for a $0 increase for workers, keeps asking me to point to where in the law it says they have to do that.

They proudly announced their agreements in other states had passed the “no disadvantage test”. That’s right, it’s a big deal when their agreement is deemed not to leave employees worse off. There was no consideration that employees should be left better off.

That’s the same agreement almost two thirds of workers at this site voted against. Why? They didn’t think 1 per cent, roughly 15 cents an hour, was much of a pay rise. They thought averaging weekly hours into a 152 hour month would leave them worse off. Workers at this hotel want to see real change, not penny pinching.

I’ve been saying I believe that agreement “dodgy”. I’ve said that about similar agreements at hotels all over Australia. But at Hilton it really seems to get up their nose.

A Hilton rep in the room challenged my assertion- “how can you call them dodgy,” he protested. “It’s legal isn’t it. Admit it, its legal!”

And that’s when I realised what’s wrong with this industry: they think the law tells them what they should do, when really it just tells them what they have to do. Like all laws, the Fair Work Act regulates the bare minimum. Responsible employers, dare I say ethical ones, set a standard much higher than the law.

Just like ethical citizens set their standards above the law. The law doesn’t regulate manners, or respect, but we adhere to those behaviours because that’s a test of who we are. There’s a whole range of societal norms that encourage behaviour better than the law stipulates, including the judgment of our peers if we fail to live up to their expectations.

The hospitality industry is a bit like the wild-west. So long as it’s legal, in the strictest sense, you can do what you like. Nobody will judge you, so long as it’s legal. They wont judge you because they let the law set their behaviour too.

The look of confusion that comes across the face of these mid-range bosses whenever I suggest they do something the letter of the law might not require them to do (no matter how reasonable it would seem to a casual observer) speaks volumes about the industry.

When I describe the award as the minimum the QHA representative gets offended. “It’s the standard.” When I say its only the standard in this industry, she asks me why we need an award at all. 2009 and not only do we have employers advocating abolition of such a fundamental pillar of our regulation of work, they can also not see that a 5 star hotel should aim to be productive enough to pay their workers more than the bare minimum.

It’s ironic that whenever we meet with senior managers (above hotel level) they bemoan the industries’ reputation as a bad employer and they ask why the union won’t help them build public and political support. Of course they also claim they are the one operator that values their people.

And hence the problem. They don’t see any commercial value in doing anything more than they are required to by law. And while that’s the case the community will continue to see hospitality jobs for exactly what they are, minimum wage jobs.

For all their special programs (I’ve never worked in an industry with more fancy names for their otherwise unappreciated workers) they just can’t see a way to use bargaining to deliver real pay rises. Since 1993 employers and workers in just about every other sector of the economy have done just that. But in hospitality there is no ambition to get above the minimum at all.

All they aspire to is the legal minimum, which is a shame for their workers but ultimately the real shame is for them and their investors. For until they work together, improve skills and training, safety and wages community and political support will never come.

No amount of screaming about the sky falling in will cause the government to spend taxpayers’ money saving an industry that the community doesn’t support.

Of course the same attitude applies when it comes to the environment. For an industry with a lot to lose if we don’t address climate change, hotels have done little to address their own environmental impact. Why? Because they don’t have to.

It clear the only way to get these hotels to do anything more than the law requires is for us consumers to start demanding it. If together we can build a movement of ethical travellers willing to make their booking decision, maybe even pay a little more, to stay in a hotel that we know treats their workers and our environment well, we can change the industry.

That’s why we built The First Star, thanks for joining in.

Posted by Steven Miles, LHMU

It seems pretty obvious to me. Honesty is a fundamental tenet of personal ethics.

Whenever I’ve talked about The First Star with hotel managers I’ve offered, even encouraged them to get online and comment. If they disagree with someone I, or you or a worker has said, jump on and give their side of the story.

I was pretty shocked though when it became clear management at some hotels were posting comments not on behalf of the hotel, but instead pretending to be workers or customers. Someone from the same IP address has been pretending to be workers at a range of hotels – indicating that it is likely to be someone pretending rather than one computer being used by a range of people at one hotel.

Sites like this thrive on lively debate. But we expect contributors to be honest about who they are. On a site dedicated to encouraging ethical behaviour, I guess we know hotels willing to deceive our readers aren’t going to make the grade.

I was also surprised these managers weren’t aware that web servers track the originating IP address of visitors. I guess I’ve tipped them off now, they’ll probably be racing to the nearest internet café to launch their next tirade, which probably starts:

“I’m a housekeeper at this hotel and I love it. I used to get bored only cleaning 14 rooms per shift, so I was so glad when they increased it to 19. Management here are so lovely, they really take care of me – sometimes I worry so much about the hotels profitability I give some of my pay back. $14.85 an hour really is too much for the kind of work I do.”

We reserve the right to “out” these folk, either here on the site or at the next big industry conference. But in the meantime we trust you’ll be able to tell the difference between genuine and useful contributions and those posted by these few managers. They stand out once you know to look for them.

While the sustainability effort at most hotels starts and stops with cost saving measures like towel recycling, it seems Novotel Darling Harbour is starting to take climate change more seriously.

The First Star has been told 80 staff participated in a tree planting effort last week, on paid time and supported by the hotel.

We think this kind of practical initiative that supports workers who want to make a difference is worthy of praise. What do you think?

What else should hotels be doing to overcome customer cynicism about their history of “greenwash”?

The First Star is a place for workers and customers to come together and debate these issues. Over time we hope you will contribute to the development of a new standard for ethical hotels, those that care about their workers and our environment.

You’ve heard a lot from The First Star about the campaign by Starwood, Marriott, IHG and some Hiltons to deny their workers a Fair Work Agreement.

We thought it was about time we gave you some good news stories.

While some hotel managers seem to be spending their time pretending to be workers on The First Star discussion boards, more mature operators are recognising times have changes and are starting to give their workers a real say.

Hyatt was first to approach workers and their union to negotiate a new national Fair Work agreement for their workers. Some of the details are still to be ironed out but it looks like they’re genuine about involving their workers in making their hotels better.

Just last week Stamford responded to a request to have a similar process, with a real seat at the table for workers.

And a number of productive meetings with Accor suggest they might be willing to turn their back on the AHA’s extreme WorkChoices agenda.

So there you have it: it’s not all bad news at The First Star. Together we’re already starting to make a difference.

Of course the real test will be how these things play out over time, but progress is progress.

Tell us what you think, do you want your favourite hotel to join Hyatt, Stamford and Accor on the path to be an ethical hotel?

Minister Penny Wong has called attention to the threat that climate change poses to the tourism industry, highlighting the need for Australian industry to take real action on reducing emissions. The Minister spoke about the need to preserve tourism icons and the jobs that depend on them.

According to the Age, Minister Wong said “We need to act now to protect Australia’s unique environment, especially these World Heritage sites that support so many Australian workers in the tourism and hospitality industry.’’

Following a debate on the government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme at the Australian Labor Party’s national conference, the department of Climate Change and Water released a report detailing future climate change-related damage to Australia’s World Heritage sites, such as bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef.

For the full story on the Age website:
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-threat-to-heritage-sites-20090801-e592.html

To see the report from the Department of Climate Change and Water:
http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/climatechange/pubs/worldheritage-climatechange.pdf

Phil Freeman speaks at the launch of The First Star

“ACF welcomes the launch of LHMU’s new campaign The First Star. It’s about leadership, collaboration and a ‘can-do’ attitude – all essential factors in solving the climate crisis” said Phil Freeman, Climate Campaigner at the ACF.

“We know that luxury hotels have the potential to make big improvements in their environmental footprint – with better outcomes for both the planet and workers.

“It’s also clear that our natural icons like the Great Barrier Reef, and tens of thousands of tourism jobs that depend on them are at risk – if we let the climate crisis spiral out of control.

“We see practical and outcomes-oriented campaigns like The First Star as the natural next step in our successful alliance with the ACTU – the Southern Cross Climate Coalition.

“We know that Australian workers and their unions want to be part of the solution to the climate crisis. We look forward to seeing The First Star hit the ground, and helping to make it a success,” says Phil Freeman.

Phil Freeman (Climate Campaigner, ACF), Louise Tarrant (LHMU National Secretary), Ana Zubieta (Sydney Hotel Worker) and Andrew Reynolds (Adelaide Hotel Worker) at the launch of The First Star

An initiative of LHMU – the hospitality union – The First Star rating recognises hotels that treat their workers fairly and minimise their impact on our environment.

“The First Star is a positive program to encourage luxury hotels to negotiate fair agreements with their workers and take steps to address their environmental impact,” says Louise Tarrant, LHMU National Secretary.

“Travellers are accustomed to the star-based ratings system for hotels. The First Star builds on that by rating hotels according to how ethically they engage with these fundamental issues.

“Initially The First Star is focussing on developing a sustainability and fair work agenda. This will be done by compiling customer and supporter experiences integrating and sharing the views of workers, engaging with credible environment non-government organisations and consulting with industry leaders.

“We shall then report online all hotels that commit to clear and transparent processes and we shall encourage supporters to use preferred hotels.

“There’s certainly plenty of scope for improvement in Australia’s hotel industry. The workers have very serious workplace issues including low pay, high casualisation and high injury rates. As for the environment, hotels are susceptible to both the long term and short term impacts of climate change.

“The First Star website will allow hotel workers to engage with customers and the public for the first time.

“This is an innovative and constructive initiative by our union. Instead of boycotting bad employers this ratings system encourages hotels to do the right thing by workers and by the environment.

“We urge travellers and organisations to get behind The First Star,” says Louise Tarrant.

Download The First Star fact sheet.

The First Star is all about trying to introduce good ethical practice into the luxury hotel industry. We believe a luxurious hotel stay shouldn’t come at the cost of hotel workers, the environment, or basic human rights principles. And we think people who stay at these hotels agree with us.

The first step in creating an ethical luxury experience is to find out what is really going on downstairs in the kitchens, laundries, luggage rooms, energy systems and supply chains of five and four and half star hotels. And we make this promise to the community of travellers, workers, investors and host communities; if we know, we will let you know. That way all of us can decide if the hotel we stay with, work for, invest in or are neighbours of, are worth the cost.

Over the past few weeks workers have been letting The First Star know what is going in their hotels. A lot of this information is very specific, so in order to protect the identity of workers we may at times talk about breaches of occupational health and safety or – if it’s an incident of bullying or disrespectful treatment, we may call it a breach of respect. We will only do this if publishing the detail of the problem would reveal the identity of the person involved.

But as far as is possible, we will make this a transparent and live appraisal of where the luxury hotel industry is at in terms of their treatment of staff, the environment and basic human rights principles. After all, if the unexamined life is not worth living, surely the unethical hotel is not worth staying in.