Shortly before the beginning of the new season, and whilst most Companies have already secured their staff, the management of the Elounda Breeze Hotel, part of the Vita Hotels Group, owned by Michalis Vamiedakis, Commissioner and Deputy responsible for Tourism in the Region of Crete, has announced the firing of staff.
He is firing staff who last season, without a thought, worked for hours on end at their posts, without being paid anything extra. They are being punished because they made the mistake of belonging to a Union and for claiming the money they are owed, through the Works Inspector – wages, paid holiday leave, and benefits – not the overtime!
They are firing staff who are still unpaid from last season!!
We asked for a meeting with Mr. Vamiedakis, but he had no time in his busy schedule to meet with us.
He would not meet representatives of the staff, overlooking the fact that we, his staff are the shop window and engine of his business! The slogan, “Peace at Work” that his colleagues are using to justify their actions, is not achieved with firing staff – but of course – “Peace at Work”, for them is creating a climate of terror amongst the staff with, “work and keep quiet” – otherwise you will be fired!!
The employers believe that by “updating” the staff, they will get rid of our unions and of workers who fight for their rights.
However, they forget something very important: The need for unions and the reason why even the new co-workers, are becoming organised in them, is because of the way the Hotel is treating the staff, from the very first day that they took control here, and their efforts to make us work as cheaply as possible.
The individual contracts of hunger that they are trying to achieve with the staff and the state of terror they are trying to create will not happen!
In Lasithi, there is a collective contract agreement and we demand that that is respected!
The Eastern European “students” who are christened as “doing their practical experience” have no place in the Hotel. Proper students will learn next to professional in the trade, not be employed to fill positions as “cheap working hands”.
We demand the immediate re-employment of our colleagues who were fired!
All together – united – with an organised, collective battle, we demand the re-employment of our fired colleagues!
No colleagues without a job!
Now is the time to show our strength!
Organizing all of us in our business and industry associations!
Workers all together, never beaten!
Elounda, 15 March 2017
The Committee of the Union.