Hotel business owners in Madeira have proposed an average salary increase of 5.5% for workers in 2025.
The decision came out of the meeting held at ACIF-CCIM this afternoon and covers all workers in the sector, including the proviso that those whose salary would not represent a 5.5% increase will have, at the very least, a salary increase of 50 euros.
The proposal has already been communicated to the Hotel Industry Union which, due to the mismatch of proposals (53 euros from ACIF and 75 euros from the union), had announced a strike for 30 and 31 December and 1 January.
According to Eric Schumman, president of the ACIF Hotel Industry Board, businesspeople understand that it is “a very robust increase”, since it will mean a 3% increase in purchasing volume”. And he emphasizes: “I don’t think any industry, no sector has this. I remember that, for example, from 2022 to 2023, hotel revenue increased by 22% and the payroll followed suit at 100%, also increasing by 22%.”
And he adds: “This means that it is not just the bosses who benefit, everyone shares in the profits. And it will continue to be the same. We alone have 5.5%, it is the biggest increase of all sectors. And it is above the increase that the Portuguese Hotel Association (AHP) and the Union of Workers in the Services Sector (SITESE) agreed on for the mainland, which is 4.7%.”
Eric Schumman also guarantees that, “because we have to give a percentage increase and not just in euros, those who with 5.5% do not reach 53 euros will receive the guaranteed 50 euros”.
The Union of Workers in the Hotel, Tourism, Food, Services and Similar Sectors of the Autonomous Region of Madeira has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, where the decision to continue the strike or cancel it will be announced.