Monaco’s Société des Bains de Mer apparently scored a great success by reducing to just four employees the number who will lose their jobs involuntarily as the hotel and casino operator slims down its workforce.
The plan agreed with employees will see 227 voluntary departures alongside those who will leave against their wishes. Originally, it had been feared that as many as 161 employees would be forced out.
However, employees’ representatives have claimed that the departures will mean that the remaining workforce of around 3,750 will be required to work longer hours in worse conditions.
Monaco’s Hotels, Cafes and Restaurants Union wants SBM to recognise the arduous nature of its members’ work. The union’s general secretary, Giuseppe Dogliatti, said employees face challenges of working quickly, often in difficult conditions, such as in the excessive heat of the kitchens. Baggage handlers are required to carry heavy loads and chambermaids must cover long distances during the course of a shift.
One union leader cited a French study that suggests that night workers suffer from shorter lifespans.
The unions’ central concern is that what they term “massive departures” will worsen the working conditions of those who remain.
FILE PHOTO: The Casino of Monte-Carlo
