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The IUF will be part of the delegation
representing workers at the First
International Congress on Ethics and
Tourism convened by the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), to be held in
Madrid on September 15 and 16, 2011. The
inaugural address will be delivered by
former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio
Lula da Silva.
As president of the Global Committee
of the IUF’s Hotel, Restaurant, Catering
and Tourism Workers Professional
Department (HRCT), I will have the
honor of representing our international
organization at this significant event.
It’s the first time ever that a workers’
delegate will be participating as a
speaker at an international debate such
as this.
This congress is a major event because
it aims to bring together all of the
sector’s stakeholders: businesses,
governments and workers.
For us it is vital to continue bringing
to the fore issues such as social
corporate responsibility of the
companies of the sector, freedom of
association, decent work and the
implementation of new models that
promote sustainable tourism, natural
resource conservation and respect for
receiving communities.
It is greatly absurd to see large hotel
chains investing enormous sums of money
to build mega-hotels while at the same
time destroying ecosystems and violating
citizen and community rights.
As a representative of the IUF,
my focus will be on decent work, as well
as on the role that the sector’s
businesses must play in the
ethical challenges faced by tourism
today.
We need to concentrate our efforts on
demonstrating that sustainable and
ethical tourism is possible, on
combating sex tourism and the
unsustainable use of water resources and
electric power sources, and on promoting
non-discrimination for trade unions in
tourism.
We’re working on proposals for States to
implement policies that will grant
greater credit facilities for businesses
that respect workers’ rights, natural
resources and the environment.
In order to develop these proposals,
everyone involved in the sector’s chain
of production needs to work together.
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