Hotel strike averted

The Labour Ministry’s Mediating team managed to score a major breakthrough Tuesday helping to avert a catastrophic strike at Cyprus’ hotels during the peak tourism season.

The hotel employees belonging to the SEK and PEO trade unions agreed by majority vote to accept the mediation offer by the Labour Ministry for the renewal of the collective agreements. A similar response is now expected by the hotel employer side on Friday to the Ministry’s proposal.

Trade unions had warned that they would go on a crippling 48-hour strike if their demands were not met. Hotel workers are asking for a raise in salaries, an improvement of the 14th salary – which currently stands at 30% of the base salary – and an expansion in the medical insurance programme. They are also up in arms over hoteliers’ plans to reduce holidays rewarded with double pay, from 15 to 10 days, as well as over efforts to scrap double pay for Sundays.

Hotel owners claim they are facing increasing costs and cannot afford the raise in salaries and benefits that unions are demanding.