Hotel Workers Again Pay Heavy Toll in Jakarta Hotel Bombing

Posted to the IUF website 11-Aug-2003

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Many Marriott Jakarta workers were among the 14 dead and 150 wounded persons hit by the terrorist bomb attack on Tuesday, August 5, 2003.

According to first reports, most of the dead were security guards, porters and parking attendants as well as taxi drivers who were closest to the hotel driveway. Many staff from reception, front office and the hotels two restaurants were among the seriously wounded.

As in New York in September 2001, in Bali, Indonesia in October 2002, in Mombassa, Kenya in November 2002 and in Casablanca, Morocco this May workers in the hotel and catering sector again find themselves in the front lines of vicious and indefensible violence.

The IUF, as the international union organizing hotel and catering workers, mourns the loss of all killed in this outrage, many of whom were workers simply going about their daily jobs at the hotel. The day after the bombing, the IUF-affiliated FSPM, the union organizing hotel workers in Indonesia, marched to highlight their demand for greater efforts by the government to guarantee the safety and security of hotel staff as well as guests. We support these demands and all similar initiatives.

The IUF believes that employee safety and security must be made an immediate priority for hotel managements and calls for consultations and negotiations on this issue between employers and trade unions, with the participation of relevant parties from within government.

Beyond the terrible loss of life and the suffering of those directly affected by these violent attacks, further negative effects on tourism in Indonesia and globally are now inevitable, with serious consequences for workers in the sector. The tourism sector globally is already reeling from the impact of war, terrorism and SARS, with an estimated 8 millions jobs lost in the past two years. All efforts should again be demanded of governments and employers to ensure that it will not be workers who face disproportionately negative consequences from these events.