The regional hotel strike was "felt a little throughout the region." The stoppage called by the Union of Hotelaria do Algarve, for this 1st of August, "exceeded expectations", but there is still no complete clearance of membership.
At the end of the rally that was summoned to Jardim da Alagoa, in Faro, and which was attended by Arménio Carlos, general secretary of the CGTP, Tiago Jacinto, from the Union of Hotelaria do Algarve, told journalists that «the clearance of membership is not yet concluded. We know that Inatel de Albufeira was completely paralyzed, with almost 100% participation, the maintenance service at Quinta do Lago Golf had a participation of more than 50%, at Golf Amendoeira, in Alcantarilha, there was a very strong participation. We also had good adherence in the catering service of hospitals in Faro and Portimão, in the order of 70%».
There were also «less expressive adhesions, but with impact on services», as in Restflight «which is the catering service at the Airport, at the Hotel Faro, at the Hotel D. Filipa… A strike was felt all over the region», guaranteed Tiago Jacinto.
In general, “adherence exceeded expectations”, because “we took action from a low level, but we had many workers calling the union to ask for information. I don't think we're going to be able to count all the workers who went on strike, because many of them must have done it spontaneously».
The union leader explained that “what we wanted was to give a signal to the workers and a warning to the bosses, who continue to want to keep wages low. We presented proposals to improve salaries, rights and working conditions for both AHISA
like AHETA but the business associations refuse to improve the salary. Negotiations were ongoing, but given the position of the bosses, the union understood that it was time to make this appeal to the workers to show their discontent».
According to Tiago Jacinto, "we have had workers for 14 years without salary increases, the work rhythms are intense, the hours are long, the hours are unregulated and we cannot accept that conditions continue to worsen." Furthermore, “more than half of the workers have precarious ties and this is the antechamber of unemployment. If we look at the unemployment data, we see that the largest number of unemployed is from tourism, at a time when employers say there is a lack of manpower. There is no shortage of workers, there is a lack of decent wages and conditions».
The call for the strike for the 1st of August was “symbolic. It is on this day that many Portuguese start their holidays and we wanted to draw attention to the workers' problems. I think that the objective has been achieved and it is now necessary for the bosses to agree to share the wealth they create in the companies with workers».
Arménio Carlos, general secretary of the CGTP, who came to the Algarve to participate in the protest, also wants the profits from tourism to reach the workers. «We are in a region where tourism, hotels and restaurants have a high level of business, with significant profits». However, “in distribution, wealth does not reach the workers”.
The union leader wants more respect for a class that “gives a face” to the region. “When we talk about a worker, we are talking about the face that relates to tourists. When they leave here, tourists don't just take back memories of good weather and good beaches. They carry memories of the hospitality and respect of Portuguese workers. This has to be recognized and compensated», he defended.
Therefore, considered Arménio Carlos, “this initiative is very important. It is a warning to employers to see workers differently. If they are not rewarded, they will accompany others who have gone abroad. If we want hotels with more quality and more professionalism, we have to recognize the work of professionals and provide better salaries and working conditions», he concluded.
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