Abstract
Several research studies have demonstrated that the number of employees with tertiary qualifications in the tourism and hospitality industry is lower when compared with other sectors. The industry consists of diverse groups of individuals with various qualifications and from different cultures, in some instances. The industry is also characterised by a high population of migrant labour which is currently becoming a norm. However, this trend is negatively affecting the output and contributions of the sector to economic sustainability and growth in South Africa. The emergence of South Africa as a democratic nation in 1994 witnessed an increase in tourism as a result of changes to the discriminatory policies and legislation under the apartheid era that had negatively affected the structure and efficiency of employment within the hospitality sector. A number of conversations towards understanding tourism and hospitality employee and organisational behaviour have noted that the complex societal and cultural factors cannot be ignored. Also, while exploring hotel worker retention, it was found that social aspects of the community play a role in determining a worker’s feelings of belonging and choice to remain in the establishment. Leaders in the tourism and hospitality sector manage people through organisational culture, resulting in employees’ overtime becoming subject to the direction and control of their leaders. Although research currently exists in tourism and hospitality that has recognised the importance of social justice in these sectors as separate fields of study, there has been scant academic focus as yet on the existing relationship between the two. Therefore, this current study aims were to investigate the importance of social justice in the tourism and hospitality industry as a tool to minimise staff turnover intentions and income inequality within the sector. The main objectives of the study was to examine the importance of effective social justice implementation in tourism and hospitality employment; to ascertain reasons why tourism and hospitality remunerate poorly; to ascertain the role of competition between tourism and hospitality businesses in shaping income inequalities within the sector; to investigate the role played by tourism and hospitality consumers in how industry employees are treated within the sector; and to propose a framework of solutions that can be used to minimise staff turnover and income inequalities effectively.
The primary data collection was undertaken by means of interviewer-administered in-depth interviews. A total of 24 participants were identified to generate the desired
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primary data from the targeted respondents in their various roles. Tourism and hospitality employees, hotel managers, and tourism business owners and managers were interviewed and primary data was gathered from them. The study further identified Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), East London and Port St Johns as the locational focus areas for the research study as these three cities are mainly the backbone of tourism and hospitality activities in the Eastern Cape. The current study revealed a number of challenges that tourism and hospitality employees, both managers and operational staff, face in their employment spaces. To overcome these challenges, the study offers recommendations so that the tourism and hospitality industry can successfully implement social justice principles and minimize employee turnover and income inequality within the sector.