Good morning, everyone.
My name is Kiran Dhillon. I worked as a room attendant cleaning hotel rooms at Pacific Gateway for 17 years until the pandemic hit.
I raised my children on this job. When the government took over our hotel as a quarantine site, they brought in the Red Cross. Other people were trained to do our jobs.
I was terminated last month along with many of my co-workers. The hotel fired 90% of housekeeping staff. Most of us are women who have been working there for decades. Women at Pacific Gateway are taking the brunt of job losses while the men's jobs are more likely to be protected.
We filed a human rights complaint on the basis of sex and racial discrimination because of how we have been treated. The hotel terminated 74% of its female staff. More of my co-workers could lose their jobs this summer if the government continues to use our hotel.
My co-workers and I want to know when will the government stop using Pacific Gateway and how will the government help women like me return to our jobs so that we aren't treated like we are second class.
People want to travel again. There's no reason why we should lose our jobs during a temporary pandemic.
Thank you so much.