Workers at the Decameron resort threaten to go on strike

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Workers at the Decameron RAMADA All-Inclusive Resort (formerly the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean) are threatening a strike if a dispute with management over wages and other issues is not resolved after a meeting Wednesday.
Rudolph Thomas, vice president of the Bustamante Industrial Union (BITU), which represents the workers, issued the warning in a press release.
Nearly two years of unresolved negotiations over wages and other employment issues are fueling workers’ anger, Thomas said.
“The workers represented by BITU are disappointed with the hotel management’s approach to negotiations relating to wages, benefits and working conditions for the period January 2023 to December 2024, which has stalled progress,” he said.
Thomas explained that the hotel hired a third-party negotiator to handle workers’ grievances, which lengthened the negotiation process and also made it more difficult for senior management to adequately respond to workers’ needs.
The case was referred to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in December 2023, but there has been no progress since then, with angry workers filing a 72-hour strike notice on October 23, 2024.
BITU has confirmed that following the first meeting on Wednesday afternoon, a meeting will be scheduled at the Ministry of Labor for 2pm. The union hopes hotel management will get involved to “break the impasse and meet workers’ demands.”
“BITU does not want operations to be disrupted, especially at this difficult time for the hotel, but will support its members as matters need to be resolved amicably, without much further delay,” Thomas said.