FORTUNATELY, last week’s strike at the hotel industry lasted for only one day. Government ministers intervened and by night-time had worked out a compromise deal that the Hoteliers’ Association, which had rejected the government’s initial mediation proposal, accepted. The strike was called off, the collective agreements were renewed and everything seemed to be back to normal by Friday morning. But yesterday, as the day the two sides were expected to sign the agreement, a new dispute emerged over the provident and welfare funds.
The disagreement which led to the strike was over the provident and welfare funds. The hoteliers had wanted each hotel to control and administer its own workers’ fund, something which the unions, which currently run the provident fund, refused to discuss, as it would significantly reduce their own power. After much haggling, the mediators proposed an arrangement for the gradual payment of money owed to the fund by the hotels, which both sides accepted. Unions would still keep control of the fund.
The dispute which surfaced yesterday involved a third party – STEK, a smaller grouping of hoteliers, which unions also wanted to have a say in the administration of the provident welfare fund. The Hoteliers’ Association objected, insisting that it had been given assurances last week that this would not happen. As a result, employees are back on strike alert at the hotels that have refused to sign the new agreement and could walk out as soon as union bosses tell them to do so. It beggars belief that the threat of strike has resurfaced over such a trivial issue – over whether STEK should have a representative on the committee that administers the workers’ funds.
Does the hotel industry not have enough problems as it is, without creating more? Most of Cyprus’ hotels have seen their bookings, already on a downward trend, drop further this year as a result of the war in Iraq and the recession in Europe. Rather than look after the tourists who are here, they are going out of their way to make their holiday an ordeal. Guests put up with last Thursday’s strike because it was over in a day, but if there is a longer strike, they will quite rightly complain and demand their money back.
Does the Hoteliers’ Association not think of the long-term damage that will be done to their businesses by digging in their heels over such an inconsequential matter? Is it really worth dealing another blow to tourism, in order to prevent STEK from being represented on the provident fund committee? The bad publicity Cyprus would receive in the international press if there was long-term strike would cause huge problems for the industry – tourists could start cancelling holidays, tour operators would demand compensation and next year’s bookings would drop even further. Is this what the hoteliers want to happen? Do they really want tourists to go home as the association president foolishly claimed last Thursday?
Things are bad enough for the tourism industry and we really cannot afford to make them any worse. Good sense must prevail before it is too late.
