Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
Jasper Park Lodge permanently laid off a section of its workforce at the weekend.
On Saturday morning, workers in food and beverage and housekeeping received the news along with 30 day eviction notices for their staff accommodation.
The number of people laid off is rumoured to be more than 70, but this has not been confirmed by the hotel.
One server, who has called Jasper Park Lodge home for two years, described the mood at the Fairmont as “devastation”.
“Fear, anxiety - people are angry,” she said. “Everyone reacts differently but we are all just kind of in shock.”
After weeks of working under social distancing measures, Jasper Park Lodge temporarily closed on April 10. The hotel is now working toward a June reopening.
The employee said members of staff were laid off in March with 60-day temporary layoff notices and the option to pay or defer rent which would usually be automatically deducted from their paychecks.
“Most people have continued to pay,” she said. “We were assuming we should so when we went back to work we didn't have to pay all at once.
“Now we’re asking ourselves, why are they evicting us when we are still paying rent and they’re not bringing anyone new in?”
Another employee told the Fitz that paying rent seemed like a good plan for both sides.
“They still have rent coming in, they won't need housing free for new incoming staff since it's a hiring freeze, and you'd help foster loyalty from staff already scared and uncertain for the future,” he said.
“So when people received phone calls for meetings with HR on Friday, May 8, there was renewed hope across the property.”
But that hope quickly turned to disappointment when staff received the layoff news the following day.
An employee from Manitoba said while she has friends and family in Canada she can stay with, there are workers from eastern Canada and abroad who have been laid off and don’t know where to go.
“This is not a normal situation,” she said. “It’s one thing to find another place to live during this crisis, but jobs are few and far between.”
Brian Lackey, president of Unifor Local 4534, a labour union that represents about 450 workers at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, confirmed that there were layoffs of union members but declined to comment at this time.
In a statement, a Fairmont spokeswoman said: “We are making some difficult decisions around how we restructure and operate Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, with the safety and wellbeing of our loyal and valued guests and employees as our highest priority.
“These actions are not taken easily and are made only after long and careful review of many options.
“As this situation continues to develop, we will continue to adapt and adjust, in order to safeguard our family and community.”
