Workers of Santorini signed on August 23 Local Collective Agreement with important conquests and increases in wages, the establishment of a series of rights in terms of working hours and other benefits.

More specifically, the local Collective Labour Agreement signed yesterday by the Union of Catering, Tourism, Hotel of Santorini and the Thira Employers Trade Association includes significant achievements in terms of pay and working conditions for workers in the island’s Catering and commercial establishments.

As far as the workers in Catering the wages of the local Convention represent significant increases and also adds a number of benefits for workers: Multi-year service (5% upon completion of each three-year period and up to six three-year periods), marriage (10%), seasonal employment (10%), tourism training (for tourism school graduates), unsanitary work (10% to cooks, assistant cooks, in-room kitchen workers, waiters and busboys) and cashier’s allowance (5% to all cashiers). In addition, employees of establishments where a restaurant department is operated are required to be provided with lunch or dinner.

Regarding working hours, the contract provides for 5 days and 40 hours of work per week. Within the 8-hour period, workers are entitled to a 20-minute break. From 1 April to 31 October, workers may, if they so wish, work the sixth day of the week, receiving a daily wage increase of 30%. These arrangements provide workers with a protective shield against the intensification imposed by employers during the tourist season.

Another important regulation, on an island where the majority of workers are seasonal, is the obligation for businesses to proceed with their re-employment from 2^nd of May.

The Contract also includes workers employed in commercial enterprises (shops, supermarkets, pastry shops, etc.). For them it provides increases in salaries and corresponding allowances.

The Agreement also brings improved pay and working conditions for Delivery workers. The provision for five-day and seven-hour working hours is of great importance in protecting workers from intensification and ‘accidents’. The basic salary is set higher than the national minimum wage, and in addition to this, workers are entitled to benefits of marriage (10%), three-year work experience (10% until three years of service), special conditions (hazardous work – 10%) and cash bonus (5%).

The Santorini Tourism Workers Union stated for the Contract

The signing of a Local Sectoral Collective Agreement for workers in the tourism and catering sector in Santorini, confirms the decision of the workers four years ago to organise and form a Trade Union, to fight for improved income and working conditions in a region that is one of the most important global tourist destinations.

We succeeded

-Defending the 8-hour, 5-day work week,

– the end of unpaid work,

– increases of up to 19% in basic wages for all professions,

– the safeguarding of all benefits in tourism and catering,

– for the first time the establishment of 7-hour, 5-day, 35-hour work for delivery workers

– the establishment of the right to re-employment no later than  May 2nd

This development is even more important when one considers that it comes at a time when are in force all the anti-workers policies of the PASOK, SYRIZA, ND governments that have dismantled collective bargaining and collective agreements, creating for workers a hell for over 10 years, with destroyed labour relations, no stable daily and weekly working hours in an industry that has brought hundreds of billions of euros to the big business groups.

The fact that we overcame obstacles such as the anti-workers’ laws we fought against, the role of leadership in the Federation of Tourism to collective agreements that reduced wages and took away rights, convinces us even more and shows us the path to follow.

We call on all businesses in Santorini to implement the contract unconditionally, so that all those driven out by the anti-worker policies and employer practices that imposed a working Dark Age can return.

We are aware that this first step neither covers all the increased needs of colleagues, nor ensures compliance in the absence of control mechanisms, nor solves the huge issue of seasonality, i.e. working six months to live twelve.

But it is certainly a start. It is up to us to make our union more massive, more powerful, so that together with the entire working class we can demand what we deserve. Modern rights that meet the modern needs of the workers.

We call on the government to proceed immediately with the extension and compulsory implementation of the Local Collective Bargaining Agreement we have signed.

Now is the time for all workers on the island to join our union, to prepare and organize for the next tough battle which will be the implementation of our contract.

On Tuesday, August 23, the Union of Workers in MALAMATINA Factory held a Press Conference to inform on the developments and announce new militant actions.

Having already decided on strike actions until 31 August, they demand the cancelation of the 15 dismissals and the signing of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with pay rise for the workers.

The Union announced the realization of a big solidarity concert on Tuesday 30 August in front of the gate of the factory, participation of MALAMATINA workers in the Union meeting of the workers’ Unions in Thessaloniki on September 1^st and in the big rally of PAME in Thessaloniki on September 9.

At the same time huge support is expressed by unions from all over Greece, who daily visit the factory and organize actions of solidarity