The Algarve’s tourism workers who have keep the region’s hotels and restaurants running at full capacity this season have had enough.
Without a pay rise since 2007, the union has issued a strike notice for next Wednesday "for the defence of rights and the immediate increase in wages."
Last February the union agreed new pay scales with the employers' association AIHSA. These were to be instigated on March 1st this year while negotiations continued on other clauses in collective labour agreements.
The employees association has failed to publish the agreed pay scales, which rather conveniently means that its members are not obliged to raise salaries for hotel and other tourism staff.
"In the face of this brutal offensive by the employers we have no alternative other than the an organised struggle for the defence of our rights and an increase in wages," said Tiago Jacinto, the head of the union for the Algarve’s hospitality workers, who added:
"It is unacceptable that most workers have not had their wages increased since 2007. This is at a time when tourism is breaking all records - enough of this injustice."
The employers' association has justified its wage freeze by saying that if its members give wage increases they want to review some of the workers' employment terms and conditions.
Among the requirements are the elimination of something called a ‘language allowance’ for new contracts, a cut in holiday pay from 200% to 75%, a cut in the night-time working allowance from 50% to 25%, the elimination of minimum staffing levels and the elimination professional categories such as 'concierge.'
The bosses want more flexible and deregulated working hours to include lifting the upper limit on overtime and an increase in daily hours to ten.
This has not gone down well with Jacinto who commented that the employees want the workers to work the hours that the employees want, while reducing salary and other benefits.
Comments
The Portuguese elite still flow around the laws helped by the law makers and law enforcers as they have always done. This protest by tourism staff, earning in a day what a punter spends on their drinks, is just yet another example.