Union leader and backbencher Derrick Burgess is set to ask Government to provide low paid workers in the hotel industry with employment benefits.

He told yesterday how he was becoming increasingly concerned for people in the service industry, who often found it difficult to make ends meet during the low season.

Mr. Burgess said many hotels laid off staff during the winter months, employing them again once the holiday season began.

But he said the workers, many of them single parent mothers, were constantly playing catch up with their rent and bills and needed financial help to continue.

He said he planned to ask Government to provide financial support to those in need by way of involuntary employment benefits.

Mr. Burgess said with a basic pay of only about $200 a week during the peak holiday times, and with children at home, a lot of hotel workers, such as housekeepers, were unable to put cash aside or work additional hours.

Any gratuities they received depended on how well occupied the hotels and restaurants were, he claimed.

"Hotel workers, particularly those in the housekeeping departments, need to be given some kind of involuntary employment benefits by Government because it is clear that they are facing huge problems,'' said Mr. Burgess.

"The housekeepers are the ones that are laid off first when the hotels go a bit quiet. What are they supposed to do for money - many have children to support on their own? "The Government has given concessions to the hotels to assist them, which is a very good thing, but I think we also need to build up our workers.

"It is not easy to qualify for social assistance, so I believe involuntary employment benefits should be paid.'' Burgess fights for hotel staff He said he planned to approach Finance Minister Eugene Cox within the next week or so to propose the idea, but he said there would have to be different criteria for applicants to apply for cash.

And he said he would be looking at what other countries do with employment benefits to see if any of them can be applied in Bermuda.

But Mr. Burgess said he also believed there was "mismanagement going on'' in some hotels around the Island, where employers failed to appreciate their staff or understand their difficulties.

"I think a lot of employees are having a rough time, but managers fail to recognise it, not just in hotels but across the board,'' he added.

"People are not being encouraged to join the service and hotel industries - is it any wonder? There are no incentives.

"Employees should be invited to participate in the company and given an opportunity to speak on how the business moves forward.

"People complain about bad attitudes and poor service, but it has to come from the top and at the moment it isn't. There is not enough motivation.'' Mr. Burgess said the BIU was working with some hotels to introduce a target bonus scheme, but it was unlikely to get underway this year.

John Harvey, CEO of the Bermuda Hotels Association, who is set to meet with hotel owners from across the Island later this week, said he would need more information about the benefits proposal and Mr. Burgess's comments before making a statement.

But Shadow Tourism Minister and manager of The Reefs Beach Club David Dodwell said he could speak in his role as an MP.

Mr. Dodwell acknowledged that some members of staff, particularly those who were more likely to be laid off, sometimes had financial problems, but said he would be interested to find out who would pay for an employment benefits scheme, such as the one proposed by Mr. Burgess.

He said with creativity, hotels could sometimes offer some form of employment to staff all year round, although it may mean they work in different roles.

And he said with the help of discipline and the Credit Union savings scheme, staff could be better prepared for the lean times during the winter months.

But he said there were no easy answers to the problems with the hotel industry, or poor morale.

He said if the hotels were better occupied for longer periods during the year and the tourism trade healthier, it would mean more work and more money for the workers.

That in turn may lead to greater motivation, and maybe better service, he said.

"It is a spiral that goes on and on,'' he said. "The state of the industry as a whole affects everything.'' And he added: "The whole issue of motivation is a difficult one - there is always a push-pull between the worker and the employer, but I think it's incumbent on an employer to equal that out. They have to speak to the employee and take the initiative.

"What I will say is that good communication is needed.

"It will be interesting to see what happens with this proposal for Government to pay benefits. Somebody always has to pay, and that will be the case here.''