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At the recent ALP National Conference Fringe, the LHMU launched its new hotels initiative, The First Star, the Australian version of INMEX (to which I referred a few days ago).

The First Star is a LHMU sponsored website promoting ethical hotels, focusing on workplace conditions, the environment and so on. From the First Star “about” page:

“So here’s the thing. For all the wonderful ways hotels compete for their star ratings (room size, quality of furnishings, guest amenities, restaurants) – there’s nothing that helps travellers identify hotels that treat their own staff and the environment with care.

We think that’s something we can change.

For instance, it takes an army of staff to keep a quality hotel up to scratch. Are those employees treated fairly? Paid a living wage?

Likewise, does a hotel take its commitment to the environment seriously, or do their efforts start and end with those little notes about putting your towels in the bath?

Whether we’re travelling for business or sheer enjoyment, we’d prefer to reward hotels that care – and we reckon there are loads of savvy business and leisure travellers who’d agree.

…

What does an ‘ethical hotel’ look like? Well, for starters The First Star symbol will recognise hotels that have signed Fair Work Agreements with their staff, which means staff haven’t been prevented from collectively bargaining for decent wages and working conditions.

Furthermore, we think an ethical hotel embraces environmental leadership – supporting renewable energy and minimising pollution, waste and carbon footprint – all to give guests a fantastic experience while reducing unnecessary damage to the environment.

Ultimately, we reckon the ‘cherry on top’ is Fair Trade-supplied coffee, chocolate, and other essentials inside an ethical hotel’s rooms and restaurants.”

There is also an organising element to the First Star campaign, with the union promoting the initiative to build members, as well as asking hotel customers (guests) to promote the campaign. It moves away from unions as simply industrial adversaries to employers, and working with consumers to use their purchasing power to improve workers’ conditions.

The LHMU are also enlisting the support of celebrities such as Corinne Grant, and other partners, such as the CPSU, Unions Queensland, and the ALP.

Posibly related posts:

1. Better Jobs, Better Hotels
2. Inmex – the informed meeting exchange
3. Unions and campaigning on the environment
4. Because we care

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