Dhananath Fernando  00:03
Hello, hello! Welcome. We are joining another conversation with Advocata Institute, and we have been discussing about the female labour force participation, in particular in the tourism sector. And we are having this conversation at a critical time, as you know, with of course with the geopolitical tensions. And at the same time, in February we recorded the highest number of tourists ever for a month, and as you know, it's a short month, only 28 days, but still we had a record number. So in that context, because ultimately everything has to be translated to jobs and income, and we are conducting this special episode and conversation with the chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Buddha Kahevavasam. Budhika, welcome to our programme. Thank you very much for taking your time.

Speaker 1  00:56
Thank you very much. Thanks for the invitation.

Dhananath Fernando  00:58
And also, we are doing this programme in collaboration with MDF, so thank you very much for partnering with us. And at the same time, we are going to detail out and ask Budhika about the future plans and what can be done to, I mean, attract more and more women into the sector as well as overall strategy about tourism. Budhika, first things first. Will I first keep the focus mainly on the female tourism, female labour force participation? This has been widely discussed, and tourism being a hospitality industry, generally the sense is females are good at hospitality. If you could tell us, like in terms of in terms of the limitations, or in terms of opportunities, like let's if we took a look at limitations and opportunities, how do you see this sector? You have been in this sector for a long time, not only in particular on like you know on food or logistics. You are in the aviation sector. You have a quite a you know wide range of experience. We'll start from there, buddy.

Speaker 1  02:03
Nana, actually, like female participation in the world tourism sector is over 50%

Dhananath Fernando  02:10
Over 50%

Speaker 1  02:11
So the employment in female employment is over 52% to 55% in most part of the world. Even in Asia, the case is same, but unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, it is less than 10%

Dhananath Fernando  02:23
Less than 10%

Speaker 1  02:25
which actually is a critical issue which we need to address. And I think few factors have been there why females were not been participated hospitality that much. One thing there is a social stigma about the industry whether it is female friendly, whether the work conditions are friendly for female, and all that, and that is quite, I think, if you have been thinking about the contribution of awareness, and that factor is immense because it is quite an unaware sector. You know, like rural population in Sri Lanka is very much unaware about the formal tourism sector, and unfortunately, most of the most of the hotels, the hospitality, and all other kind of sectors are having a distance from the general public of Sri Lanka, which create that gap to immense level, and it is being contributed by our education system also because if you think about the formal education from kindergarten up till A levels, you don't have anything talking about hospitality and tourism, which is unfortunate when we have been talking about a tourism economy. We need some awareness at the school level. May it be the tourism clubs or tourism awareness plus curricula as well as the syllabus of some sort has to carry subjects like tourism studies. At least in other subject, it has to have a kind of part to be paid. So education system, its role of awareness is immensely contributed for low female participation in tourism, and also of course, there are certain rules and regulation which limits maybe the working hours which applies for male and female is different until until recent times. Recently, it's been changed. Now the female can also work on extended working hours if they wish to, and then the conditions of work is applied in the same manner. So when it comes to say maternity leave, other kind of flexibility, all are being applied right now in the sector itself. But it's quite unaware itself in in in by and large. So that I think is a contribution. But the potential is immense. In recent years, we see all female hotels were being emerged in Sri Lanka. If you think about a hotel like Ambayal, which was been recently awarded at recent ITB in Berlin as well, which was actually having entire crew of females from the general manager up till the kitchen staff, chefs, and everybody is entirely female. There's a female crew, and there are a few other hotels which has been running by the female crew itself, and also if you have been thinking about the tourism degrees and all, large number of people who are in that undergraduate programmes are female. So there's a potential in one side, and there are few barriers and the issues which we need to be addressed. But I think this awareness gap remains by and large the largest critical factor, which female will not be coming into this industry.

Dhananath Fernando  05:27
It's a excellent answer, but the answer in the sense like the the the dimensions that you provide in terms of global tourism, what is the female labour force participation and the barriers and the need for education and how people should think of that overall. In that context, would think recently we saw news articles that the night shifts. Yes, there's a regulatory change that the tourism sector could contribute, like especially for female. Tell us a little bit about it. Where was this initiative initiated, and how does it basically changes the the job, not the job role, like the work hours or like ability to earn more for a women and ability to get more. I mean, the increase the recruitability of females in this with the changes that has been proposed.

Speaker 1  06:19
Because actually, like what happened is, if you've been thinking about tourism, it's an industry which has round-the-clock demands. That means, like, say hotels are being running virtually 24 hours. So then, extended shift is a normal part of the particular occupation. So all these long, females were being restricted on extended night shifts, which actually is a common labour regulation, which applies into certain industries, which has certain exclusivity in certain industries, but tourism must not be excluded. Right. That limits the female to be utilised. If you think about the workforce in a in a particular hotel, if you are being excluded, certain part of the gender to day shifts only. Then you have to think twice about recruiting the females, using them for night shifts, and also what you said is very correct. The income generation of the employee is very less if he's not been given a chance to be having a kind of extended overtime or something of that sort. But recently, the industry's demand is such, as well as I think the the female themselves, the the associations, the gender equality bodies, and everybody has been demanding for equal work conditions, and female to be having a kind of a chance to be working in similar manner, which males are being working, and we know that our hotel industry is right now suffering from the shortage of employees, especially the shortage of skillful employees. So, with all that, I think there is a positive consideration by the government side as well as the labour ministry to eliminate that particular restriction, and

Dhananath Fernando  08:02
also the example that you brought out, like the hotel like Amba Ambayo Ambayalo. So if they have, if they were to run all three shifts or two shifts based on females, if you have that restriction, actually you cannot you cannot bring those innovative ideas, and sometimes some of those skills may be specialised only for certain. I mean, it can be a male or a female. Yeah. But for an example, let's say if there's a cocktail or special recipe that only a female can do, and because of the shift or the night time restriction that the shift has to be over by that particular time, then that concept may no longer have the shelf life. Now, but the challenge is generally when we speak about this female labour force participation, especially in an industry like tourism, where there are some taboos, some I mean misperceptions, misinformation. The other side is why I mean probably these regulations many years ago, when this industry wasn't evolved, brought in maybe with good intentions, because there are maybe exploitation, there are maybe safety concerns. Still, our public transport is not up to mark. I mean, no public buses operates like after probably 10, 11 p.m. So, in this context, policymakers also has to think both sides. While you give the opportunity to generate income, you also have to be cautious and take care of the safety and I mean the the work conditions of females. Yes. So you being now in like also in the line of like you know the not a policymaker but you basically overlooks a critical industry on the policy front. At the same time, you have been on the other side of the aisle when you are in the private sector. How a policymaker should strike this balance?

Speaker 1  09:53
Yeah, there's two ways of looking at it. One thing is the industry standards, global accepted practices. The good work ethics and the models and all. I think most of the hotels are right now, especially if you think about the standardised properties when it comes to star class hotels and all. In order to compete in the global industry, they need to maintain global standards. So, giving the particular right work conditions and the employee welfare, employee protection, and non-exploitative environment became a kind of a norm of the industry itself. So I think no hotel in the industry will be able to survive without having that regulations and that thing, whether it is regulatory or not, to having those standards in practice. And on the other hand, policymakers actually, when it comes to the registration, when it comes to the employability regulations and all, still there are very much of labour in labour protection regulations, especially applies for female, which safeguard their particular well-being as well as non-exploitative work environment for them, so that is something which we can't compromise. But at the same time, I think right now the employees are very well aware about their rights, as well as the employers are right now in a global competitive industry. Which, if they don't protect the rights, they will not be able to gain any advantage in the marketplace itself, so I think we have been like talking about say about 50 years back or so, where the particular exploitation has a kind of different mean and norms. But now I think the workforce has a global mobility itself, and the global standards are being there. And you know, like most of the hotels are actually internationally affiliated.

Dhananath Fernando  11:39
Correct.

Speaker 1  11:40
Some way or other, they have to be served the international tour operators. Right. So standard and the norms became very much transparent, very much, very much labour friendly, and very much in the sustainability aspect itself.

Dhananath Fernando  11:52
Budhika, since you spoke about the global standards, like how does it work in other countries? Because we have seen even restaurants emails us serving, and not not only the you know the the staff level jobs, but even the managers, the supervisors, the GM, the CEOs, it can I mean it can go up to any level. How does it work there, or is there? I mean, with your experience, have you seen any particular case studies or any special measures that certain countries have taken it, you know, in a different way, and also sometimes it also depends on the demography as well. Sometimes in certain countries, yes, with the the cost of the labour, sometimes automation is more reasonable, cheaper, or like there's age categories that sometimes you it's easier to recruit. How does it happen in a global context? Because not many Sri Lanka is maybe also aware of what's happening in the global context on this industry. In some countries,

Speaker 1  12:45
actually, there is a mandatory mandatory regulations on the equality and the particular gender balance. So there, there should be they have to recruit.


Transcribed by https://otter.ai