Regional Secretary of Tourism, Eduardo Jesus, highlights that negotiations are still ongoing between the union and employers.
The announcement of a strike notice by hotel workers in Madeira for the New Year, if it comes to fruition, could be negative for the sector and for the Region, but the truth is that the Regional Secretary for Tourism says that the workers are within their rights, even recalling that he has long argued that given the results achieved in recent years, this should reflect in an improvement in the workers’ pay conditions.
When you look how much Savoy Palace are charging for new years eve, just over 1000 euros to see the fireworks with dinner, double the cost of last year, how can this be. ?
The minister reacted exclusively to DIÁRIO regarding the news released last night by the Hotel Industry Union, which is demanding salary improvements that were not being reflected in the ongoing negotiations with ACIF-CCIM, on behalf of the companies. “The information we have, and I had the opportunity to confirm this this morning, is that negotiations are still ongoing”, the minister began by stressing.
“Therefore, I admit that this strike announcement may constitute a form of legitimate pressure from one party on the other to influence the wishes of that party”, he analyses. However, “regarding the strike itself, if it were to occur, it would not necessarily be good for Madeira, because it is a time of great demand”, he recalls.
In fact, hotel occupancy is expected to be quite high and the strike on 30 and 31 December and 1 January could cause serious problems. “This is a peak that we have here, when Madeira is completely occupied in terms of the supply of beds”, he recalls, “and, therefore, it would harm the service to be provided and could naturally have some consequences that are not pleasant for the destination”, he warns.
However, he makes it clear that “striking is a constitutional right” and “we respect, on the one hand, the right to strike and, on the other hand, the right to negotiate”. Therefore, “while it is ongoing, we hope to be able to reach an understanding”, stresses Eduardo Jesus.
Furthermore, as a reminder, “we have been arguing for a long time that the good moment the sector is experiencing should also be reflected in salary conditions. This has been the subject of public intervention, not only by our President, but also by myself”. On the other hand, “we understand that there are balances that must be satisfactory so as not to naturally jeopardize the capacity of companies and employers”, he warns.
Hence, in defense of the “balance that is desired and this balance must result from this negotiation that is taking place”, the government official who will be in office until the elections are held believes that there will be an agreement between the parties.