Very critical of the Mais Habitação program, the general secretary of the Hotel, Restaurant and Similar Association of Portugal once again defends the reversal of all changes approved by the socialist executive of António Costa. In an interview with RenaissanceAna Jacinto accuses the previous government of having decided, “without having information, based on ‘I think’ or politically influenced”.
He argues that it is necessary to evaluate the real situation of housing and the impact of local accommodation (AL) and, “if there is a need in some situations to take measures and there are restrictions, because there is in fact a very high density compared to housing, we are available to take measures”.
For Ana Jacinto, the measures taken did not solve the problem, they did not generate more housing, because the origin of the problem was always poorly identified. She guarantees that local accommodation did not reduce the supply of houses on the market and recalls an ISCTE survey, according to which 60% of properties recovered in Lisbon and Porto “were unoccupied, falling down, degraded”. They were houses with “one bedroom, two bedrooms, it was difficult to restore them to families, no one would take those properties if it weren’t for these investors”, she says. Furthermore, “they were there for many years, they were never housing, when they appear in AL could they be housing?”
The general secretary of AHRESP also emphasizes that measures are being taken based on outdated data. At the moment, local accommodation is being counted that, in practice, is not in operation. The owners keep their doors closed, but do not cancel their license, afraid of losing the opportunity to open again, given the successive constraints that are being imposed.
There are no longer low wages in hotels and restaurants
The numbers in restaurants are also yet to be updated, where closures are increasing, to levels “that were not felt two months ago”, says Ana Jacinto, based on the information she collects every fifteen days from delegations spread across the country. This trend is felt mainly in small restaurants, in less touristy areas, dependent on local consumption.
A situation that contrasts with a growing sector, favored by historic tourism revenues, which are reaching mainly the hotel sector, but not only. Ana Jacinto guarantees that today “we are no longer talking about low wages in the restaurant and hotel industry”.
There are different levels of remuneration in the sector, and different areas, but no one earns less than the minimum wage and even that amount is for interns. Remember that, last year, salaries were increased by 8%.
Ana Jacinto also emphasizes that when salaries are discussed, it is always based on base pay, but these workers still have the right to meals, night hours, etc.
He also adds that wages are no longer the most important thing in restaurants and hotels, but schedules: “It is necessary to organize employees’ working times differently. We cannot have a worker who comes in in the morning, has a break in the middle and back in the afternoon. Or never give weekends off, or never allow holidays off, or a whole month of vacation to a foreign worker who wants to go to their country of origin”, he explains.
This more efficient management of schedules is possible, guarantees Ana Jacinto, but it may involve longer closure periods than the entrepreneur would like or even the hiring of more staff.
This is one of the matters for which AHRESP requests more flexibility, when negotiating collective contracts, because it considers that the sector should not be subject to the same general rules in force for the rest.
This matter gains even more relevance in the current context, in which, with the exception of chefs, the sector continues to need labor for all types of functions. For Ana Jacinto, this is yet another argument that explains the rise in wages, because companies need to retain workers.
Immigrants continue to find work in the country’s restaurants and hotels but, like the president of the CIP, the secretary general of AHRESP also calls for organized immigration.
One of the main problems is housing. Ana Jacinto says that she does not know of situations in the sector similar to what happens in agriculture, with immigrants in containers. Still, she admits difficulties in accommodation. To tackle the problem, AHRESP advocates that local authorities support leasing in the first few months.
AHRESP wants to “manipulate tourists’ paths”
Ana Jacinto rejects any excess tourism, but says that it is possible to manage visitor flows much more efficiently.
In an interview with the Dúvidas Públicas program, the general secretary of AHRESP says that technology already exists that allows this management, allows “to manipulate the paths of tourists”, so that they do not all congregate at the same times in the same places.
It is also possible to divert these tourists to other destinations, promoting new places, and collecting information about those who visit us: who they are, why they visit us, among other data.
There is no need to invent anything, he guarantees, this technology is already applied in other cities, such as Paris and London. Here, AHRESP has already presented the proposal, but Ana Jacinto says that it is necessary to convince “many farms”, because there are many different entities responsible for this equipment.
The association also reinforces criticism of the application of tourist taxes and, in particular, the increase to 4 euros in Lisbon. Here, AHRESP argues that part of the value should go to Lisbon residents.
It also calls for the Stores with History program to be reviewed, because it is not enough to safeguard architectural heritage, it is also necessary to preserve intangible heritage. Ana Jacinto gives gastronomy as an example, in restaurants, which must be preserved.
These are excerpts from the interview with Ana Jacinto, general secretary of AHRESP, on the program Renaissance Public Doubts, broadcast on Saturdays, starting at noon. It will then be available on the website and on podcast.
