Paris, 30 April 2001 - The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) took the lead in championing employers� views at a meeting in Geneva earlier this month of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Human Resources Development, Employment and Globalization in the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Sector.

As the only international trade association representing the hospitality industry worldwide, IH&RA brought the expertise of its National Association members to this tripartite debate involving representatives of workers, governments and employers.  Serving as spokesman of the Hotel and Restaurant industry Alain-Philippe Feutré, IH&RA CEO, was backed by Anthony Pollard, President of the Hotel Association of Canada and Chairman of IH&RA�s National Association Chief Executives� Council. Key technical contributions were provided by prominent IH&RA members including Marinus Cordesius (Royal Dutch Horeca), Oscar Ghezzi (FEHGRA Argentina), Katia Knipschildt  (Horesta Denmark) and Mihai Rajnita (Romanian Hotel Industry Federation). Marguerite Sequaris (HOTREC) was also active in supporting the industry case. 

After a week-long discussion of the technical report drawn up by the ILO, Alain-Philippe Feutré and Marinus Cordesius were selected to represent Employers in the working group negotiating the draft conclusions of the meeting. They were successful in gaining due recognition of the shortage of skilled labour in the Hotel, Catering & Tourism (HCT) sector and of the corresponding need to address the problem of the international mobility of workers in the sector, particularly with regard to visas and national quota restrictions. The importance these conclusions attached to human resource development and training echoed the focus given to this topic in IH&RA�s recent events, particularly its Hospitality Leaders� Summit held in London last November. 

Employers were also successful in toning down the conclusions on subcontracting and part-time employment and in directing the future work of the ILO towards topics such as training, skills development and data collection.
Experience has shown that topics selected for discussion at such meetings often fuel increased activity by the ILO, leading to the drafting of ILO Conventions and Resolutions covering these areas. These instruments then serve as guidelines for legislation at national level and ultimately find their way into collective bargaining. It is therefore vital that employer representatives attend these Tripartite Sectoral Activities meetings to ensure that the texts of reports, conclusions and resolutions are thoroughly scrutinised, debated and rendered acceptable to the industry. 

The IH&RA has a solid and envious record at the ILO. Three years ago, its representatives successfully opposed an ILO proposal that �collective agreements� should be reached with employees and unions before the introduction of technology in hotels, restaurants and catering establishments. In 1993, the IHRA also successfully put a stop to the ILO suggestion that part-time workers should receive the same benefits as full-time workers.
For Anthony Pollard, President of the Hotel Association of Canada and Chairman of IH&RA�s National Association Council, the issue is clear: �We are committed to our members� bottom line. By putting a stop to potentially onerous labour regulations, before they become part of national labour matters, the IH&RA has saved hotels, restaurants and catering establishments money, time and resources� .

The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is a global trade organisation representing over 750,000 hospitality operators, national associations and suppliers in more than 150 countries. Its mission is to inform, promote and protect the worldwide hospitality industry which it estimates to comprise over 300,000 hotels, 8 million restaurants and 6 million employees, contributing US$950 billion to the global economy annually.