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26.03.2025 11:28

“Workers are in urgent need of pay raises and better conditions – not for luxury, but for survival”

Many hotel and restaurant sector employees express concerns about low income, long and hectic shifts, insufficient working hours, and the difficulty of balancing work and personal life.

Collective agreement negotiations for employees and supervisors in the hotel and restaurant sector began at the end of February. The current agreement will expire at the end of March – just one week away.

Earlier this year, PAM asked service sector workers how they’re doing, and the responses poured in. Workers in the hotel and restaurant industry especially highlighted concerns about income, working hours, and the struggle to reconcile work with personal life.

– Every month, I worry about how to pay the bills, and winter is the worst – costs for our house skyrocket. At work, it is nearly impossible to take breaks as we are understaffed, and we still have to serve customers. I’m forced to do shift work even though I have small children at home,” says Inkeri, a cook from Rauma.

Jaana from Pori shares a similar experience:

– Prices have gone up, but wages haven’t. Sometimes there’s way too much work, and then during quiet periods, there’s barely enough. I know I’m supposed to take breaks, but in practice, it just isn’t possible. I work weekends and evenings, which is a terrible match with having school-aged kids.

Scarce working hours

Although many workers describe their jobs as meaningful and their work communities as supportive, that’s not enough if there aren’t enough hours available and wages fall behind the cost of living. Many professionals in the hotel and restaurant sector say they work part-time for multiple employers just to make ends meet.

Ella, who works in Helsinki’s restaurant industry, says she has three part-time jobs with different employers just to scrape together enough hours each month.

A kitchen shift supervisor in Espoo also needs a second job:

– I enjoy the work and the atmosphere in my main workplace is great. But right now I have no choice but to take on additional work. It’s extremely exhausting when you can’t recover properly even from your primary job.

Although PAM has already reached agreements in the commerce and ski resort sectors, the terms for tourism and restaurant professionals must still be negotiated separately.

Pay raises and better conditions on the table

– As the responses from workers show, professionals in the sector are in urgent need of pay raises and improved working conditions – not to live in luxury, but simply to get by. Many find their work meaningful, but far too many hotel and restaurant employees are struggling with income, exhaustion, and the challenge of balancing work and their free time, says PAM’s collective bargaining specialist Raimo Hoikkala.

Negotiators will return to the bargaining table for the tourism and restaurant sector collective agreement on Friday. PAM is seeking solutions that improve the position of part-time workers and increase employees’ influence over their own work and shift planning. In addition, PAM aims to strengthen protection against dismissal through the agreement.

– Although PAM has already reached agreements in the commerce sector and ski centers, the terms of employment for hotel and restaurant workers must still be negotiated separately. Our strength at the table comes from our members – we’re in this together, Hoikkala emphasizes.

Follow the collective agreement negotiations here

Text: Minna Raitapuro

Keywords:

collective bargaining hotel and restaurant industry supervisors in hotel and restaurant industry

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