Thousands of Corfu hotel employees worried about what will happen
tourism
30 Jun 2021
/ 15:18
CORFU. Hoteliers are obliged to re-employ all their employees on 1 July regardless of occupancy levels.
5,000 Corfu hotel employees are anxious about what will happen this season having waited months to work again. Today was the last day of the suspension of their contracts (1 May - 30 June) and from tomorrow, 1 July, they should be returning to work at their hotels.
The first notifications from hotels have already gone out the President of the Corfu Hotel, Catering & Tourism Employees' Union Stamatis Pellais told Enimerosi but employees in the sector are worried about their re-employment.
He said that the collective employment agreement for hotel employees "with regard to wage and work conditions for those working in hotels throughout the country" was declared mandatory on 16 June. Based on this, hotel owners are obliged to re-employ all their employees regardless of occupancy levels.
Concern about hotels that aren't open
The UK amber list has meant that a lot of hotels have not opened due to the lack of tourists. These are mainly smaller hotels, with up to 50 beds, but there are also larger hotels that haven't opened. In areas such as Nissaki, Kavos, Dassia, Ermones and Sidari several hotels remain closed.
"If hotels don't open, then they will have to break the contracts and pay the legal compensation otherwise they will have to release the staff for at least three months and pay half their wages plus insurance," said Stamatis Pellais. "They won't do this, however, and workers will have to take legal action. We demand from hoteliers and the government that the mandatory contract be adhered to and that the period of suspension be extended for those at hotels that do not open." Mr Pellais said that otherwise they will have to take protest action.
Letter to Government Ministers
"We will follow the letter of the law," say Corfu hoteliers and add that, if it is not possible to hire all the personnel due to low occupancy, then the workers will be included in the Syn-Ergasia programme.
The Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers has brought the matter up in a letter it sent to the Finance, Employment and Tourism Ministers on 28 June, whic Corfu Hoteliers' Association is in full agreement with.
In the letter they state that, although the Syn-Ergasia programme is good, it doesn't cover all cases. For that reason, the Federation recommends that the suspension of contracts is extended over the month of July and reviewed depending on the development of the pandemic; employers' contributions are covered just as for the period July-September 2020 without hotels with over 50% occupancy and which can occupy some staff full-time having to use the Syn-Ergasia programme; unemployment benefit to be paid to workers even with 50 insurance stamps.
The first notifications from hotels have already gone out the President of the Corfu Hotel, Catering & Tourism Employees' Union Stamatis Pellais told Enimerosi but employees in the sector are worried about their re-employment.
He said that the collective employment agreement for hotel employees "with regard to wage and work conditions for those working in hotels throughout the country" was declared mandatory on 16 June. Based on this, hotel owners are obliged to re-employ all their employees regardless of occupancy levels.
Concern about hotels that aren't open
The UK amber list has meant that a lot of hotels have not opened due to the lack of tourists. These are mainly smaller hotels, with up to 50 beds, but there are also larger hotels that haven't opened. In areas such as Nissaki, Kavos, Dassia, Ermones and Sidari several hotels remain closed.
"If hotels don't open, then they will have to break the contracts and pay the legal compensation otherwise they will have to release the staff for at least three months and pay half their wages plus insurance," said Stamatis Pellais. "They won't do this, however, and workers will have to take legal action. We demand from hoteliers and the government that the mandatory contract be adhered to and that the period of suspension be extended for those at hotels that do not open." Mr Pellais said that otherwise they will have to take protest action.
Letter to Government Ministers
"We will follow the letter of the law," say Corfu hoteliers and add that, if it is not possible to hire all the personnel due to low occupancy, then the workers will be included in the Syn-Ergasia programme.
The Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers has brought the matter up in a letter it sent to the Finance, Employment and Tourism Ministers on 28 June, whic Corfu Hoteliers' Association is in full agreement with.
In the letter they state that, although the Syn-Ergasia programme is good, it doesn't cover all cases. For that reason, the Federation recommends that the suspension of contracts is extended over the month of July and reviewed depending on the development of the pandemic; employers' contributions are covered just as for the period July-September 2020 without hotels with over 50% occupancy and which can occupy some staff full-time having to use the Syn-Ergasia programme; unemployment benefit to be paid to workers even with 50 insurance stamps.
