Crete hotel owners threaten staff with a €5,000 fine if they leave their jobs

Crete hotel owners are threatening employees with a €5,000 fine if they quit their jobs during the tourist season. Please note that such a “reservation” is illegal, according to the Labor Center.

Representatives of the Heraklion Labor Center filed serious complaints about delinquent the behavior of hoteliers, a local publication reported on Thursday Neakriti.gr.

And the threat of a fine of 5,000 euros is not the only violation: while employees work in Greece, employers register them in foreign countries to avoid social security contributions. These complaints are under the microscope of the labor inspectorate, which is expected to take action in the coming days. Representatives of the Heraklion Labor Center argue that no worker should feel fear or anxiety, but can file complaints through the trade unions in which he is a member.

According to neakriti.gr, there is a sense of shortage of workers: Compared to last year, the shortage of staff in Crete hotels has increased by 30%. It should be noted that the local collective bargaining agreement was signed as binding a few weeks ago to offer attractive incentives for workers. However, it seems that the behavior of hoteliers and supervisors continues to be an ongoing problem.

Nektarios Moussakis, General Secretary of the Heraklion Labor Center and President of the Heraklion Prefectural Association of Chefs and Confectioners, also spoke about the widespread phenomenon of bullying against workers in the sector. “Workers are victims of verbal and anti-collegiate behavior. The problem of bullying in the workplace is quite big in Heraklion and Crete in general,” he said.

Speaking to reporters, Moussakis stressed that in previous years, these two problems did not exist: “The hotel divisions claim that their employees work abroad, but in fact they work in Greece. reduce the amount of insurance premiums that the employer is required to pay,” he explained.

A similar practice is used by “3-4 hotel groups whose activities are carried out abroad.” In other words, Greek citizens working in Heraklion hotels are declared to be working in foreign countries. He added that the Heraklion Labor Center would file lawsuits.

Speaking of “penalty clauses,” Moussakis said that “some hotels are putting up false documents and papers that impose “penalty clauses” as a tool to prevent an employee from leaving in the middle of the tourist season.” Such documents are not legal, he said, pointing to 6-7 hotels in the Heraklion area.”

The “forfeit clause” does not exist in the private hospitality sector, only applicable to important government projects where contractors are required to complete the project within a certain time frame, regardless of the circumstances. This is the only allowable clause in the Labor Code that allows for a fine upon dismissal earlier than the term specified in the contract. In private enterprises, such as hotels, this provision does not exist, but, unfortunately, many hoteliers use it for their own purposes in order to avoid possible staff reductions during the high season. For example, there are hoteliers who demand from their employees 5000 euro if they leave before the end of the tourist season,” Moussakis said.

The president of the Heraklion Hotel Workers Association, Nikos Kokolakis, told neakriti.gr that “complaints about employer misconduct are numerous. There are several types of bad practices on the part of employers. Bad behavior, non-compliance with the local collective agreement has created an unfavorable climate. problems and raise employee awareness.

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