Mandatory for all employees and employers are declared the Collective Labor Agreements of workers in the hotel businesses of Rhodes and Heraklion, Crete, with effect until 2025, by decision of the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, following 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. extend and apply to all businesses of the relevant branches and not only for those who signed the Conventions.

As stated in a relevant announcement, the Collective Labor Agreements, which are declared mandatory, provide significant wage increasesat a level higher than the national sectoral Collective Labor Agreement of the hotel employees of the whole country, as well as a number of allowances, which are paid, according to the terms of each.

In particular, the Collective Labor Agreement of hotel staff of Rhodes provides that the basic salaries of the 4 categories of employees, which have 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 %.

So, the basic salaries are formed today by category of employees from 913 euros to 997 euros, from 1/6/2024, from 941 euros to 1,027 euros Ms., from 1/6/2025, from 950 euros to 1,038 euros.

On basic wages are addedas the case may be, benefits for seniority, seasonal employment, unhealthy work, housing and food, marriage and tourism education.

In relation to the working time arrangement, the two sides (employers and employees) agreed on the possibility of working up to 2 hours extra per day, provided that, over 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 2 per day) of the June-September period will be removed from the timetable of October and November, so that the average of the whole period (from June to November) does not exceed 40 hours per week.

It is also expressly stated that extra work is provided without additional pay while, respectively, reduced employment does not imply a reduction in wages, as well as that the inclusion in the working time arrangement system takes place, if the employee consents and on the condition that the hotel has an electronic staff attendance system.

The Collective Labor Agreement of the hotel staff 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 currently structured per employee category from 848.51 euros to 925.55 euros and, from 1/4/2024, from 890.94 euros to 971.83 euros.

To the basic salaries are added, as the case may be, allowances for seniority, marriage, tourist training, seasonal employment, uniform and unhealthy work, while food, accommodation and transport benefits to and from the place of work are granted, under special conditions.

In addition, the Contract includes arrangements for working time (e.g. possibility of 6 days of 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.