Statement of Hotel-Tourism-Catering Workers’ Union of Athens

The miserable situation we are experiencing inside the workplaces continues. We are now well into the tourist season, and the picture we are encountering in the hotels of Attica remains dramatic for all workers.

The staff shortage is maintained by choice of employers despite the fact that based on the most recent data, occupancy rates are reaching 100% and revenues are approaching those of 2019. That is, the employers themselves admit that they are loading more work onto fewer workers, keeping our wages frozen at 2007 levels so that they can increase their profits even more.

The daily exhausting work, combined with the temporary contracts of temporary employment, which are applied everywhere, and the outsourcing-slave trade agencies that do a good business renting out workers to the vast majority of hotels, are the most striking proof that the main aim of the big hotel owners is the complete abolition of permanent and stable work and the further spread of flexible work, based on the needs of the companies.

The union, together with its members and the business unions in many hotels, are in a big struggle to sign a local sectoral agreement that will serve our needs with increases in wages and rights, abolish all anti-worker regulations and bring back what others have sold out.

The successful strike on June 24 and the massive interventions of the union and the members in the hotels belonging to the members of the Board of the Hotel Owners Association of Attica were our response to the intransigence of the hotel owners’ organization, who refuse even to start negotiations for a local collective agreement, arguing that there is a National sectoral agreement.

What we have been denouncing for so long about the attitude of the yellow trade unionists of the leadership in the Tourism Federation, has been effectively confirmed, as they signed a contract that paved the way for the abolition of a century old, workers’ conquests and is tailored to the demands of the employers, which is why today the Hotel Owners defend it and fortify themselves behind it.

The participation of many colleagues in the recent strike, the very successful and massive picket lines of the strike in emblematic hotels of Athens such as INTERCONTINENTAL, NOVOTEL, TITANIA, ROYAL OLYMPIC as well as the repeated work stoppages that took place these two weeks annoyed the hoteliers and some of them, attempted with a few crumbs to limit the reactions. They thought that by giving a little money, which is not even enough to cover an electricity bill and even in the form of an extraordinary bonus without being incorporated as a permanent wage increase, they would manage to buy us off.

THEY ARE DELUSIONAL IF THEY THINK WE WILL GIVE UP SO EASILY!

Their action means that our struggles are working, that we should not stop until we get them to the table to sign a contract that satisfies all our demands.

That is why we call on all workers to participate in the 24-hour strike on July 13, to send the strongest message of struggle to all hotels in Attica, to mass our gathering so that they understand that we are united, our demands are just and we have the whole society on our side.

We demand:

Signature of a local sectoral collective agreement in the hotels of Attica, Athens with substantial wage increases and guarantee of the 5-day week, 8-hour working day without any other arrangement in working time.

Recruitment and coverage of all jobs with full-time employment and indefinite-time contracts.

Abolish flexible forms of employment, out with the contractors.

Inclusion in the heavy-hazardous professions, cooks, chambermaids, restoration of the specialties that were included until 2012.

Restoration of the 20-year Efapax benefit without the reductions imposed by the PASOK, ND and SYRIZA governments.

Measures to protect the health and safety of workers in the workplace.

Repeal of the Hatzidakis law and all anti-worker laws