Parliamentarian Carlos Bermudez of the AVP faction has responded to a recent declaration by the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA), clarifying the motivation behind his recent inquiries into the tourism sector. Bermudez emphasized that his questions to the Minister of Labor and Tourism are grounded in repeated signals from workers rather than isolated incidents.
According to Bermudez, dozens of hotel employees have approached him with concerns regarding working conditions and, in some cases, mental mistreatment. He noted that fear of retaliation or job loss has prevented these workers from filing official complaints with the Department of Labor. Consequently, Bermudez chose to protect their anonymity by not identifying specific hotels publicly.
The Parliamentarian stated that he has a moral obligation to take these concerns seriously and has sent a formal letter to Minister Cicilia requesting an investigation. While AHATA’s representative reportedly criticized his approach, Bermudez clarified that his intent is not to condemn the entire industry. He acknowledged that many hotels treat employees correctly and stated that a transparent investigation would ultimately strengthen the reputation of compliant establishments.
