VICTORIA -- British Columbia hotel workers demonstrated on the grounds of the B.C. legislature in Victoria on Tuesday.

The rally was led by Unite Here Local 40, a union representing hospitality workers across the province.

The group says it's demanding the provincial government step in to save hotel jobs that have been threatened by the closure of hotels since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group says more than 50,000 hotel workers in B.C. have been laid off since March as hotels across the province temporarily shuttered due to the pandemic.

Dozens of supporters gathered at the legislature to chant and wave signs in support of the hospitality sector.

Unite Here Local 40 says the B.C. government should guarantee that laid-off hotel workers will have the legal right to return to work.