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Resolve poor working conditions of hospitality employees – Minister

By
Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA

Accra, July 22, GNA – Mr Bright
Wireko-Brobby, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, has
urged the players in the hospitality industry to urgently tackle the issues of
low wages and occupational and safety challenges.

He also entreated them to ensure the payment
of social security and raise the low payment of pensions to employees in the
sector

Mr Wireko-Brobby urged them to work hard to
reverse the erroneous impression that, hotels are places for practicing
immorality, in order to boost the patronage of the country’s tourism
destinations and increase its contribution to national development.

He underscored the need for hospitality
operators to ensure variety in the kind of cuisines served to clients, in order
to attract both local and international tourists and enhance their
competiveness.

Mr Wireko-Brobby gave the advice when he opened
the maiden International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) SCORE Hospitality Coaching
(HoCo) Training of Enterprises Workshop, in Accra on Monday.

The training was funded by the governments
of Switzerland and Norway, with the objective of improving the competencies of
players in the hospitality industry, to improve the quality of service
delivery, working conditions of workers and enhance cost productivity. 

The beneficiaries were small-scale
enterprises and members of the Ghana Hotels Association, Ghana Employers
Association, Association of Ghana Industries and the Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber
of Trade and Industries. 

The Swiss Government is supporting the
training programme with 12 million Swiss franc, in eight African countries,
including Ghana.

Mr Wireko-Brobby said the hospitality
industry contributed immensely towards the country’s socio-economic development
and commended the ILO for the initiative.

The Deputy Minister entreated the
participants to endeavour to translate the knowledge and skills that would be
acquired into practical interventions to improve productivity and increase the
country’s tourism destination.

He noted that artificial intelligence was
gradually taking over human jobs globally, “but I believe that, if workers
offer quality services better than what machines could offer, employers would
always seek your services.

Dr Ziblin Iddi Barri, the Deputy Minister of
Tourism, Arts and Culture, in an address, painted a gloomy picture of the
country’s hospitality industry, explaining that, Ghana placed 120th position
out of 136 countries assessed by the World Economic Forum, in terms of their
tourism competitiveness and hygiene.

He attributed the country’s poor rating to
the declining quality service delivery and professionalism, which is drawing
back the gains made in the hospitality sector.

He called for change of attitudes and
mindset by industry players to transform the sector for the better, in view of
the comparative advantage the nation had in tourism over other West African
nations.

That, he said, would enable the nation to
realise its vision of achieving the Ghana beyond aid, with the hospitality
sector estimated to rake-in GHȼ19.8 million from the previous GHȼ4.5 million
accrued in 2008.

The sector is currently supporting more than
300,000 direct jobs and over 600,000 indirect jobs nationwide.

He said government had undertaken a number
of strategic interventions towards strengthening the arts and culture industry,
improve partnerships and institutions, as well as enhance coordination
framework and public-private partnerships to create congenial atmosphere for
investments.

Madam Erica Duah, a Quality Control Officer
at MJ Grand Hotel, a beneficiary of the training programme, told the GNA that,
she expected to enhance her knowledge and skills in quality management in order
to boost the cost productivity of the hotel.

GNA

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