The achievement of an agreement through direct negotiations for the renewal of the sectoral employment contract in the hotel industry is considered unlikely, if not impossible, before dialogue even begins, at a time when the tourism sector surely does not want labor unrest added to the many challenges it faces.
This is evidenced by the scenario that unfolds after the initial meeting of the unions, which took place at the end of January, between the SYKXA-PEO and OUXEKA-SEK unions and the hotel associations PASYXE and STEK, already suggesting the need for mediation by the Ministry of Labour.
Since then, complaints from the unions to the Ministry of Labour about hotel units that did not provide CoLA have intervened, public concerns from hoteliers about this year’s course of tourism, and about the demands submitted by the unions for the renewal of the collective agreement in the hotel industry, as well as delays in promoting their own requests/demands by hoteliers, which have yet to be submitted.
Indeed, representatives of STEK publicly stated that the demands are unrealistic, as they increase labor costs by 32%. Both the president of STEK, Akis Vavlitis, on RIK, and the general secretary of the Chrysaimili Psilogeni Association on SPORT FM 95.0, made relevant remarks, with the latter estimating that there is no point of discussion or negotiation based on these specific demands.
This seems to justify the absence of STEK from the continuation of the dialogue on the issue of the sectoral contract in the hotel industry, as a meeting was scheduled for next Monday only between the unions of hotel employees of SEK and PEO and PASYXE.
According to information from “F”, the executive committee of STEK seems to have decided not to enter into dialogue, without, however, there being any information for the time being or at least for the information to reach the trade union movement.
Speaking to Phileleftheros, the general secretary of SYKXA-PEO, Neofytos Timinis, however, stated that the unions are going into dialogue on Monday with open ears for substantive discussion for the well-understood interest of the hotel industry.
Regarding the reports of unrealistic demands, Mr. Timinis rejected the reports of specific percentages mentioned regarding the wage demands of the unions, but, as he said, the cost may be high in case a hotelier does not apply anything from what the collective agreements and existing legislation provide.
He also reminded that one of the goals set for the renewal of the contract is to make the profession attractive again, a development that will also mitigate the needs for human resources from third countries, as well as to prevent unfair competition among entrepreneurs.
At the same time, the general secretary of SEKKA-PEO confirmed the existence of complaints about non-payment of CoLA by a small number of units in Limassol and Paphos.