Government 'caving in' to hotel unions

The Government has been accused of ?caving in? to unions in the hospitality sector over attempts to recreate the Joint Labour Committees.

The operation of the committees, which previously set wage and overtime rates for shifts such as weekend working, is under review by the Labour Court.

The Irish Hotels Federation which has called for the abolition of the committees said they were contrary to efforts to create employment in the labour intensive hospitality industry.

Federation president Michael Vaughan said ?factions within the Government? were blatantly undermining initiatives to stimulate employment in the hotels sector ?by caving into short-sighted union interests?.

In a survey carried out in advance of the Hotels Federation annual conference which is currently underway in Killarney, nine out of ten hoteliers said the committees would affect their decision to take on extra staff this year.

?JLCs impose an additional layer on employers,? says Mr Vaughan. ?We believe job creation in our sector is essentially being jeopardised as part of calculated and short-sighted attempts to appease the unions,? he added.

The hoteliers also took issue claims by hotels.com in which alleged hotel prices rose by five percent in 2012 , the highest level since 2008. Hotels.com said the average cost of a hotel room was €90 per night while the most expensive destination was Killarney, at €101 per night. The cheapest was Limerick at €67 per night.

Michael Rosney, representative of the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation condemned what he called ?attempts by private commercial websites who charge outlandish commissions? to then seek publicity ?on the back of hotels that are doing their best to get their industry back on an even keel?.

He said that hotels.com has limited access to hotels booking information for businesses in Killarney and the key issue revealed by their survey showed hotels.com was ?definitely not the place to book your accommodation?.

?It's particularly disappointing that hotels.com would choose to take this line of action at a time when there has never been better value on offer from hotels in Killarney,? he said.