Giving workers in the tourism sector «career progression guarantees» and enabling «a better balance between work and family life», while adapting salaries to real performance and productivity, are some of the ingredients of the “formula” that AHRESP presented to «reverse the lack of workers in Tourism».
The Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal made public a proposal for «a package of nine solutions to help solve the chronic problem of the lack of professionals for the restaurant, similar and tourist accommodation sectors», at a time when companies «they are already preparing the end of the high season, in a scenario of uncertainty due to the increase in inflation and interest rates».
«If the speeding up of visas for immigrants from the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries is to be welcomed, AHRESP lists other measures still waiting to be accepted by the Government and operators», says the association.
AHRESP proposes, from the outset, that «Touristic Accommodation and Restaurant and Beverage companies should seek to undertake creative strategies to attract and retain professionals, which must go beyond remuneration and which may go through evaluation systems, recognition practices, guarantees career advancement and a better balance between work and family life'.
Salaries were not forgotten in this list, where it is argued that «the value of the remuneration should always take into account the productivity gains, as a result of the individual performance of the worker, but also of the collective performance at the level of the entire employing structure».
«Better and more adequate management of the organization of working time is a factor that generates greater productivity, which increases the financial availability so that companies can provide better working conditions», defends AHRESP.
The promotion of «initiatives and mechanisms in terms of dignifying and valuing the professions, to which a redenomination of professional categories and an adaptation of their functional contents can contribute, in order to adapt them to the current reality and the demands of our activities », as well as the urgency of «a serious and structured bet on the qualification of tourism workers, promoting a dual education system, complementing learning with practical experience» are other suggested measures.
These proposals match, to a large extent, with those that have been the demands of the Algarve hotel trade union, which just yesterday, the 11th, promoted a protest «due to the bad conditions in the tourism sector».
In the announcement of this "action of denunciation and protest", which took place yesterday in Vilamoura, the unionists said that they intended to "denounce the low wages paid in the sector and the terrible conditions to which the bosses are subjecting the workers", as well as claiming "a dignified life” and with “quality of life and the possibility of professional and personal fulfillment” for workers in the sector.
The PCP, which joined this protest, “reaffirms that there is no incompatibility between a dynamic and sustainable tourism sector and the enhancement of workers' rights and their wages. This is what is needed and not the path of impoverishment and exploitation of thousands of workers in the region”.
On the way, the union accused the bosses of wanting to “do even worse with the immigrant workers who are recruiting in other countries, such as Brazil, Cape Verde, Morocco, India, Bangladesh, among others”.
The hiring of labor from third countries is a possibility that, for AHRESP, «can and should be seen as part of the solution, provided that it is organized and with a guarantee of dignified, working and living conditions».
"For this, the public power should also review the current mechanisms of legalization for workers on behalf of others and recognition of qualifications, which must be streamlined", they argue.
What the association also asks the Government to do is create «a more favorable environment for the operation of companies, namely through the reduction of tax burdens, in particular those directly related to work».
The business association's list includes two more proposals, one of which is the "development and implementation of a short-term early-career training program for the professional categories most in need of qualified labor and which, in this way, , facilitate access to the profession'.
«These trainings must be disseminated and promoted among unemployed people and those working in other areas of activity who wish to start a career in Tourist Accommodation and Restaurant and Beverage companies».
Finally, it is suggested «the elaboration of a 'Green Book of the HORECA Labor Market', in order, in a clear and precise way, to identify the current needs of the Market, both in terms of the quantity of human resources and in terms of their qualification, because only in this way is it possible to prepare the best and most appropriate solutions».
«Despite the positive performance of tourism this summer, the end of the high season will bring strong challenges. With most companies still recovering from the impacts of the two-year pandemic, the inflationary context and the rise in interest rates will cause an increased loss of household purchasing power. This is an extremely relevant factor for the activity in the various sectors represented in AHRESP», warns the association.
Over the last few weeks, several governments across Europe have reinforced inflation mitigation measures, such as tax cuts and subsidies. In Portugal, the Executive of António Costa promised new support to families and the activity of companies for September.
AHRESP now calls for the support measures to be launched next month to address the adversities that are foreseen for our sector, which has not yet recovered from the pandemic (nor is it expected that this will happen in 2022). Tourist accommodation and catering companies and similar companies cannot be forgotten and must be included in the measures that may be made available.
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