Global Currents in Gender and Feminisms by Glenda Tibe Bonifacio

Global Currents in Gender and Feminisms by Glenda Tibe Bonifacio

Author:Glenda Tibe Bonifacio [Bonifacio, Glenda Tibe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Published: 2017-12-13T00:00:00+00:00


Service and/as Reproduction

At the Inn, many reproductive cycles are initiated. These unfold in different ways, responding to the immediate physical needs of human bodies, both in Manitoba and in the Philippines, and to the needs of the Inn vis-à-vis its client base and workforce. These needs are connected; indeed, they are mutually constitutive. In its simplest and perhaps most obvious form, reproduction at the Inn plays out in the daily tasks performed by the workers employed there. Sitting at the intersection of three highways, 3400 vehicles are estimated to pass the hotel’s expansive complex each day (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure, 2011). A combination of tourists, mobile workers (seasonal construction crews, trades people and truckers), travellers transiting the region and local residents make up the hotel’s client base. Some stop for a coffee, a meal or a drink after work, while others arrive for a night’s rest or longer term accommodation. For those who make use of the Inn’s amenities, the efforts of individual workers (who cook, serve, clean and care) blend together in the service of daily reproduction. While much of this work is visible, much is performed behind closed doors: the preparation of food, the cleaning of rooms, the washing of bed sheets and towels, etc. — all go largely unnoticed by those who benefit from them. This is particularly true of housekeeping.

Although the reinstatement of guest rooms is one of the most important services offered by hotels (Powell & Watson, 2006), there is a remoteness to housekeeping. Housekeeping activities typically occur in the absence of guests, in the seclusion of individual rooms. Moreover, guest interactions with housekeeping staff, while not uncommon, tend to be brief and/or mediated through the front desk. The outcome of housekeeping labour contributes to its remote, or almost invisible, quality. An undoing or redoing, the work of the Inn’s housekeeping staff is rarely noticed unless it goes uncompleted. Manny, a Filipino worker from Iloilo, began working at the Inn in 2013. Having worked as a hotel housekeeper in Manila for over ten years, he is precise and exacting in his work. He begins with the beds. He vacuums. He dusts, disposing the occupant’s garbage as he goes. He steps into the hallway, returning moments later with several spray bottles and a rag, elbow-length, yellow rubber gloves covering his hands and forearms. Turning his attention to the bathroom, he scrubs the countertops, the bathtub, the floor and the toilet. Finishing one room, he moves onto the next. And so, while guests rotate in and out — their temporary dependency on Manny’s labour, the labour itself is highly repetitive and consistent.

For Manny and his co-workers, each day begins with a review of the room schedule — every housekeeper is assigned a set number of rooms in a section of the Inn. This number fluctuates, corresponding to the hotel’s occupancy rate. The housekeepers, relative to their co-workers in other departments, are more vulnerable to the seasonal operations of the hotel. While open year-round, peak seasons (winter and summer) tend to see an additional influx of guests and therefore longer hours.



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