Heraklion Hoteliers Join POEET Sector-wide Strike on October 23

The Heraklion Hotels Association will join the 24-hour strike in the Catering and Tourism sector scheduled for October 23, 2024, by the Panhellenic Federation of Workers in Food Service and Tourism (POEET).

• Advocating for Unemployment Benefits: Since 2018, POEET has campaigned to reinstate unemployment benefits to help seasonal workers through winter and encourage their return to the sector.

Despite repeated assurances from various Labor Ministers over the past six years, the current Minister, Mrs. Kerameos, continues to assert that restoring unemployment benefits for seasonal workers is not a government priority. However, on September 8, Mrs. Kerameos, in an interview with Kathimerini, stated that the seasonal unemployment benefit must be a tool to combat black and insecure work.

Unkept Promises and Continued Appeal

• Broken Promises: The government, particularly through the Ministry of Labor, has failed to deliver on commitments regarding unemployment benefits. They cite fiscal constraints—even with over 20 billion euros from the recent season and a 7 billion primary surplus—as reasons for inaction.
• Demand for Negotiations: The government’s reluctance and hoteliers’ refusal to negotiate a Branch Collective Labor Agreement leave workers in a precarious and unmanaged work environment.

Key Demands

• Fair Living Conditions: Seasonal workers deserve dignity, with unemployment funds restored to pre-memorandum levels and fair labour agreements.
• Revival of EFAPAX Benefits: A return to 20-year service terms.
• Improved Workplace Safety: Robust health and safety measures.
• Educational and Regulatory Enhancements: Upgrade tourism education, establish staffing control, and protect against income instability.

Call to Action

Hotel and catering employees and the wider tourism workforce are urged to stand together at the strike rally on October 23, 11:00 a.m., at Heraklion Airport. The movement escalates with the Pan-Hellenic strike on November 20, 2024, demanding dignity for workers.