I have been playing a
cat and mouse game with the lovely, efficient, hardworking housekeepers here at
the Kuriftu Bishoftu Resort. Each day I leave 20 Ethiopian Birr ($1 cdn) on the
pillow, and each day they leave it on the bedside table. I asked my main man
here, HR/Operations Manager Abebaw, about it. He said they don’t want to be
fired for stealing. Tourism in Ethiopia is barely a thing yet, so the
subtleties of tipping and other practices are not on the radar. So, I starting
leaving a note on a napkin, “Thank you for doing a great job! ☺ “. Now
they take it half the time.
I asked Abebaw
yesterday about the small groups of Chinese men who stay at the resort every few days. They are obviously not on vacation. He said they are owners of nearby
factories producing garments, shoes, flowers, food, beverages, cars, etc. They are
here because the average Ethiopian labourer earns $1.25 per day and because
there are no WCB folks bothering owners with working condition standards,
workplace exposure to toxins, hours of work, and other dodgy conditions. I have a couple of
friends who design and sell clothing in Canada whose products are manufactured in
China, I assume because production is cheaper due to low Chinese labour costs
mostly. How interesting that the Chinese do that here.
The housekeepers at
the resort also make $1.25 per day, though that almost doubles for them with staff
meals, transportation, a cut of service charges, and bonus top-ups. I had no idea
I was leaving the equivalent of a day’s pay on my pillow.
Should we still
support an Ethiopian tourism industry that pays such wages? As
contrasting as it is to minimum wages across Canada, it is still a wage in a very
poor country. The hope is in CESO’s catch-line “Stronger economies, better lives”. In fact, if you are doing the African-vacation thing from Canada, there
is a good chance you will fly through Addis Ababa on your way to the lions and
rhinos south of here. Why not stay a few days in a lovely, non-touristy place
with lots to see and do?
