The problem is assumed by all: there is a lack of workers for tourism, when the high season is already starting. But, in the solutions, there is no consensus. The Tourism Region is in Morocco trying to attract manpower, the Union says that the “medicine” is to increase salaries, but the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA) guarantees that today it is paid much more, although there are people who "refuse" to work.
As for the RTA's “exchange visit” to Morocco, it started this Monday, July 5th, and will last until next Friday.
Then, according to the Algarve Tourism Region, there will be a visit with the same objectives to Cape Verde (from the 12th to the 15th of July).
The two visits, in partnership with the Mission in Portugal of the International Organization for Migration (IOM Portugal), have a clear objective: to provide a «quick response to the hiring of human resources for the tourism sector in the Algarve» – and also for agriculture .
João Fernandes, president of RTA, assumes that the “lack of manpower is currently the main difficulty facing Algarve tourism”, a diagnosis shared by hoteliers, association leaders and trade unionists.
At a press conference held in mid-June, Tiago Jacinto, coordinator of the Sindicato da Hotelaria do Algarve, considered that the shortage of workers is due to a “combination of factors”, with “low wages” at the head.
«The problem is the lack of conditions that companies are offering to workers, in terms of remuneration, which is close to the minimum wage, or the deregulation of hours that do not allow the reconciliation between professional and personal life. There are workers who have never had a vacation with their children », he illustrated.
The degradation of work in hotels, assumed the unionist, «is not difficult to understand when we have, in the kitchen, a worker who has no training in the area».
«The quality of the service is going down every day and this is later noticed by the complaints that customers present», he added.
Despite not “ignoring” the possibility of recruiting workers abroad, Tiago Jacinto talks about the other side of the coin.
“There is a whole strategy set up to lower wages and then, claiming that there are no workers, go looking for them abroad to exploit them even more, because they come in a more fragile situation”, he said.
In this regard, the Tourism Region, through the voice of President João Fernandes, guarantees that the objective of these visits is to achieve the «regulation of mobility agreements that ensure good opportunities for migrant workers and that certify respect for human rights, fighting the risk of labor exploitation and exposure to human trafficking risks'.
The issue of wages is one of the most debated between workers and employers.
The Hospitality Union sees the increase in wages as the key to solving the problem of lack of manpower, but Hélder Martins, president of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA), counter-argues.
“We also have to think about how much an employee costs: if we pay 1000 euros, how much will it cost the company? This has to do with fiscal policy, which doesn't help either. Now, that today you are paying 15, 20 or 30% more, there's not the slightest doubt", he said, Sul Informação.
Moreover, according to this official, who is also the director of the Hotel Rural Quinta do Marco, in Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo (Tavira), today «you don't hire anyone wanting to earn the minimum wage».
«There has to be a rethinking of the activity: there has to be a housing policy that secures people, a tax policy that doesn’t just think about receiving, receiving, because, deep down, the company is an entity that is made to generate employment, have a service and also have a profitable part», he considered.
With the pandemic, there was the departure of hundreds of workers in the tourism and catering sectors. Many went to the “large supermarkets”, diagnoses Hélder Martins, and others to “the Municipal Councils”. Despite this diagnosis, hypermarkets and municipalities also lack manpower.
But in the midst of so many shortages, there are also exceptions.
In Quarteira, there is a hotel – the D. José – which has a «full» staff (also with the help of students from the School of Hotel Management and Tourism of the Algarve).
Ao Sul Informação, director João Soares explained that, in addition to having “increased wages”, he also provided “support for housing, renting out some apartments for workers” and extended health insurance.
“Inflation is rising and the cost of living affects everyone”, he considered.
The regional delegate of the Hospitality Association of Portugal (AHP) assumes, however, that the lack of manpower is «a serious problem in the region».
«It will be difficult this summer, of course, but I believe that the Algarve will manage to overcome it», he concluded.
It is not known whether the RTA's initiative, of going directly to Morocco and Cape Verde to try to attract manpower, will have practical effects, at least in this tourist season.
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