A Model for Measuring Fair Labour Justice in Hotels: Design for the Spanish Case

Abstract

There is a growing awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability as a global movement. The hospitality sector is one of the major industries driving socioeconomic development worldwide (especially in economies such as Spain) and it has responded to this need, in the context of a general worsening of labor conditions in this sector. Evidence of this response is the Fair Hotels Project, which is an international collaborative effort aimed at building new partnerships between fair trade movements and trade unions in order to have a positive effect on the labour market in the hotel sector. This article describes the design of Hoteles Justos Laboralmente Responsables (HJLR), a fair labour justice and socially responsible model for hotels oriented to contribute to sustainability and labour justice within the Spanish hotel sector. The HJLR model was created to meet corporate, labour and local development needs. It includes accurate and objective measures—and homogeneous and comparable indicators—to assess the level of fairness and quality of labour practices of hotels. This model would be of great utility in improving the sustainability and quality of life of people working in this economic sector and could be also used by companies to improve their competitive position. The Spanish Government has shown its support for this project as a part of its 2030 sustainable tourism strategy, aimed to get the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, this is a relevant line for future research, once the implementation phase is completed and quantitative data is available to measure the situation in depth.