Raxa Collective has a commitment to the locations in which we operate our hotels, resorts and houseboats: we strongly prefer to hire, train and employ local community members.  Recently this sign has been visible in Thekkady, near Cardamom County.  It is meant to attract hotel workers to join the union representing the hospitality labor force across the state, and hangs in front of one of that union’s offices.  Without any irony or sarcasm, this photo was snapped by one of our contributors to stimulate conversation among several other contributors.

Che is visible all over Kerala, a state with an active and (measured in election results) very successful Communist Party.  Like him or not, he is a charismatic symbol of justice for the downtrodden.  Our discussion was simple: neither for the sake of avoiding union organization (none of our properties have unionized workers, but not because we actively avoid unionization), nor in obeisance to Che or the Party that claims him, are we respectful enough, responsible, and in all other manners a good employer?

A new director of Human Resources will be joining us next month, and answering these questions will be our priority as we prepare to open two new properties in the coming months.  Collective action in the interest of responsible employment is not always easy, but we work at it daily. We will report on our answers to these questions from time to time on this blog.

Our guests are directly impacted by the answer to those questions. Most importantly, it is our ambition to be the best employer wherever we operate.

And though it is not our primary concern, it is not irrelevant to ask: What would Che say?