Attica Hotel Employees Up in Arms Over Insurance Cuts

Α meeting between Attica’s hotel and tourism employees and Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura earlier today ended in a deadlock after the unionists demanded the government scrap a decision which will cut into their insurance savings, they said.

Nikos Papageorgiou, the president of the Attica Food, Tourism and Hotel Federation (POEE-YTE), representing employees in the sector, said they would continue with a 24-hour strike after Minister Kountoura “referred our delegation to Labour Minister George Katrougalos”.

“This is government doublespeak and broken promises,” he said, warning of further actions. The sector employees with the support of the All Workers Militant Front (PAME) had previously demonstrated outside the tourism ministry in central Athens and then marched to parliament.

Kountoura said the ministry “supports all just demands of the tourism sector, remaining in continuous communication with relevant ministries for the resolution of arising issues”, and added that she was informed of the unionists’ demands and that she forwarded these to her colleague Katrougalos, who said the labor ministry was open for dialogue.