Rhodes and Heraklion hotel employee collective labor agreements made mandatory

The Collective Labor Agreements of the employees in the hotel businesses of the Island of Rhodes with effect until 2025 as well as the employees in the hotel businesses of the Prefecture of Heraklion are declared mandatory for all employees and employers of the respective branches with effect, similarly, until 2025.

The decision was issued by Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis after a relevant recommendation of the Supreme Labor Council.

This means that the provisions of the two Agreements, which concern, among other things, salaries, allowances, arrangement of working time, etc. are extended and apply to all businesses in the relevant sectors and not only to those that signed the Agreements.

The collective labor agreements that are declared mandatory provide for significant salary increases, at a level higher than the national sectoral collective bargaining agreement for hotel employees for the whole of Greece, as well as a number of benefits paid in accordance with the terms of each, as is pointed out in the announcement of the Ministry of Labor.

The CLA for Rhodes

In particular, the CLA of the hotel employees of Rhodes foresees that the basic salaries of the 4 categories of employees, which already increased from 1/9/2022 by 9%, will increase again from 1 June 2024 by an additional 3% and from 1 June 2025 by an additional 1%.

Thus, the basic salaries are today, per employee category, from 913 to 997 euros, from 1.6.2024 from 941 to 1027 euros and from 1.6.2025 from 950 to 1038 euros. To the basic salaries are added, on a case-by-case basis, allowances for seniority, seasonal employment, unhealthy work, shelter and food, marriage and tourism education.

In relation to the arrangement of working time, the two sides (employers and employees) agreed on the possibility of working up to 2 hours more per day provided that for a period of 12 weeks the average weekly work does not exceed 40 hours. Especially for seasonal hotels, it is foreseen that the extra working hours (always up to an extra  2 per day) of the period June – September will be deducted from the schedule of October and November so that the average of the whole period (from June to November) does not exceed 40 hours a week. It is also expressly defined that the extra work is provided without additional pay while, correspondingly, the reduced employment does not entail a reduction in wages as well as that the inclusion in the working time arrangement system is done with the consent of the employee, and on the condition that the hotel has an electronic attendance system for staff.

The CLA for Heraklion

The CLA of the hotel employees of Heraklion provides that the basic salaries of the 4 categories of employees will increase from 1/4/2023 by 7% and again from 1st April 2024 by an additional 5%.

Thus, the basic salaries are today, per employee category, from 848.51 to 925.55 euros and from 1.4.2024 from 890.94 to 971.83 euros. To the basic salaries are added, on a case-by-case basis, allowances for previous service, marriage, tourism education, seasonal employment, uniform, unhealthy work, while food, accommodation and transport benefits to and from the workplace are granted under special conditions.

The Agreement also includes arrangements for working time (e.g. possibility of 6-day work with additional pay in periods of high occupancy, by decision of the employer), possibility of accommodation and food for employees in the hotel, etc.

Both contracts also provide for more favorable, in relation to the legislation, provisions related to the re-employment of seasonal workers, the announcement notes.