The unions accuse HoyTú of “torpedoing” the agreement so as not to improve the conditions of the workers
«The Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of the Region of Murcia (HoyTú) has a phobia of pacts with union organizations. They have made us waste time in each meeting, and the problem is that they do not want to raise the minimum interprofessional salary for workers. So forceful was yesterday the general secretary of UGT, Antonio Jiménez, in a joint press conference with CC OO to address the controversy caused by the signing of the collective agreement for the hotel industry.
The document, signed on July 12 by the unions and the Tourist Federation of the Costa Cálida (Fedetur), has come face to face with the rejection of HoyTú and the Association of Hospitality and Tourist Accommodation Entrepreneurs of Cartagena and its region, Hostecar , which distanced themselves from the agreement and denied its validity. That is why the unions have lamented the position of the entities that want to “torpedo the agreement. It is outrageous that since December 31, 2008, the date on which the previous agreement expired, no agreement has been reached, beyond a few specific increases in 2016, 2017 and 2018. They are denying any opportunity to improve the quality of the employ 37,000 workers while they complain about the lack of personnel. They should ask themselves what has happened to those 4,300 professionals who have been forced to go to neighboring provinces such as Almería or Alicante since 2019, where they have better conditions,” said the secretary general of the CC OO, Santiago Navarro.
During the press conference they attacked the most critical voice of the agreement: Jesús Jiménez, president of HoyTú, whom they accused of “wanting to continue taking advantage of the employees.” For the unions “there is no will to sign the agreement. We have the lowest hotel wages in this country, “said Navarro. Consequently, they reach out to Jiménez to turn the text around «if necessary. We are open to negotiation, as we have shown. From the unions they maintain that “this is a problem of four members of HoyTú and Hostecar, not of the entire sector. It is a fight of egos that they must solve among themselves, “said Navarro.
In defense of the pact signed with Fedetur, whose president Soledad Díaz praised “the courage to take a step forward”, they insisted that “it is beneficial both for hotel employees, as well as for businessmen and the economy of the Region” .
For her part, the general secretary of the Federation of CC OO Services, Teresa Fuentes, assured that HoyTú is “sending letters to its associates so that they do not apply the agreement once it is published in the BORM.” In this case, Fuentes recalled that the companies will have to respond to the labor inspection, so she asked the workers to report any anomaly to their union representatives.
Finally, the unions asked Croem to endorse the agreement, which involves part of their companies, and the regional government to take action on the matter.
Businessmen accuse CC OO and UGT of negotiating behind their backs
HoyTú has the support of Hostecar, although the unions assure that “there were enormous differences between the two organizations. In fact, HoyTú ignored Hostecar, which has been present in the negotiations”, according to the general secretary of CC OO, Santiago Navarro. The president of Hostecar, Juan José López, admits that «the agreement must be updated because after fourteen years it is obsolete. I have been participating in the negotiations for seven years and those who always put obstacles are the unions, ”reveals López. Regarding the salary increase, he indicates that «we are in favor and also of the implementation of decent conditions to achieve quality hospitality. But we also want worthy union representatives, at the level of the Region, who do not politicize their activity, nor draw up an agreement behind the backs of the employers, who, after all, are the ones who stand by the workers and know their reality. Who defended them during the pandemic and responded to their needs? Where were the unions », he wonders.
Jesús Jiménez, president of HoyTú, continues to deny any validity to the agreement, which he defines as “a mere document signed with Fedetur, an entity that has no legitimacy.” As for its content, he claims to be unaware of it because no one has passed it on to him. However, on the points addressed at the negotiating tables that, according to him, “the unions abandoned”, there is a discrepant point, that of temporary incapacity. «We ask for the abolition of temporary disability, according to which the first three days people suffering from common illness receive one hundred percent of the salary to allocate that guarantee to long-term patients. Thus, we put a filter for those people who do not want to work and we contribute to professionalizing the sector with those who do have an interest and need help at a difficult time, “explains López.
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