PAM’s Ylitalo: Management demand to end Sunday work bonuses in the hospitality sector is unreasonable
Jaana Ylitalo, Collective Bargaining Director at Service Union United PAM, is appalled at the views expressed by Jan Vapaavuori, the Helsinki mayoral candidate of the National Coalition Party, and Timo Lappi, CEO of the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, claiming that Sunday work bonuses are undermining the attractiveness of Helsinki. Ylitalo points out that many Finns go to restaurants on Sundays too.
Following a recent debate that has been raging in public about ending Sunday work bonuses in the hospitality sector, PAM’s Jaana Ylitalo wonders how much certain commentators know about eating out in Finland. Downgrading employees’ working conditions will not solve the challenges related to opening hours or the labour shortage in the sector.
– Many of the restaurants in central Helsinki are open on Sundays already. So I’m surprised by the discussion going on at the moment. The restaurants that are closed on Sundays are mostly ones that cater for business customers. Office workers and companies come for lunch on weekdays, not at the weekends. I don’t think ending Sunday work bonuses would change that very much. Sunday work bonuses in other sectors haven’t been called into question either, Ylitalo says.
Ylitalo points out that restaurants that have opened up to a wider customer segment such as families already have customers both in the week and at weekends, and for many people Sunday is a family day off.
– In PAM’s view ending Sunday work bonuses will not result in more people visiting restaurants. For me it is important that as many different people as possible get to enjoy what Finnish restaurants have to offer. The key to high-quality service is satisfied workers and fair pay,” Ylitalo says.
According to Ylitalo, the discussion about the Helsinki tourism market and the factors affecting the opening times of restaurants in central Helsinki are distorting the overall picture of the sector and its contribution to the economy.
– Ordinary restaurants that cater for most people’s budgets already have customers every day of the week throughout the country. The price of the product for consumers will presumably stay the same regardless of Sunday work bonuses, Ylitalo thinks. She adds:
– The hospitality secor is labour-intensive, and cutting wages won’t alter that fact. The overall cost structure of the sector will remain in spite of it. What would matter is for operators to plan their shifts properly, for example We have restaurants that are very sucessful even though they pay Sunday work bonuses in accordance with collective agreements. The best companies succeed by scheduling their activities, and the hospitality sector is no exception to that, Ylitalo points out.
In Ylitalo’s opinion it’s all about reducing costs for employers and maximising profits at the expense of employees.
–Levelling down working conditions or ending Sunday work bonuses will not address the acute labour shortage and the profitability of the hospitality sector or its contribution to the attractiveness of Helsinki as a tourism destination. Now tourism is being used as a cover to reduce workers’ incomes, Ylitalo says.
News item published in Finnish on 30 March 2017