Cancun, Quintana Roo — The state leader of the Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CROC) has accused hotel owners of exaggerating a downturn in summer tourism to justify layoffs, arguing that current occupancy rates are sufficient to keep staff employed.
Martín de la Cruz Gómez, CROC’s state leader, said hotel occupancy in Cancun currently ranges from 50% to 70%, well above the estimated break-even point of 30% that other Pacific coast resort destinations manage without mass layoffs.
“Some hoteliers exaggerate when occupancy falls,” de la Cruz said. “There are destinations operating at 30% that still maintain their full workforce. Here we’re at 50, 60, even 70% and they want to cut staff, so we step in to defend the workers.”
De la Cruz said that when occupancy drops 10 to 15 points, some hotels move to liquidate employees. CROC negotiates with management to implement solidarity days and advance vacation time to preserve jobs.
Although there are no mass layoffs, he acknowledged that staffing levels are being reduced. The union is currently negotiating with three hotels to prevent layoffs. In one case, a resort that planned to dismiss more than 40 workers agreed to reduce that number to 15.
De la Cruz emphasized that laying off workers under federal labor law is costlier for companies than maintaining payroll during the slowdown. Severance requires three months’ salary plus benefits, making it more economical to retain staff for the high season that begins in November.
“The union will always seek to maintain employment — that’s our goal,” he said. “But some hoteliers exaggerate when occupancy falls.”
