Cullen: Sunday double pay rates unfair to hoteliers

DOUBLE pay rates for hotel Sunday workers are unfair and the issue needs to be resolved, according to Minister for Tourism Martin Cullen who was reacting to a call from hoteliers that Sunday double pay is no longer sustainable.

The Irish Hotel Federation (IHF) said the Sunday lunch at the local hotel could become a thing of the past as wage costs are posing a major threat to hotel services.

The call came at the 71st IHF conference which is taking place in Killarney.

Mr Cullen said the system is unfair at the moment and it is causing a lot of stress and strain.

“I think we all work maybe seven days a week now and there’s no differentiation in many respects as there would have been in the past,” he said.

IHF president Matthew Ryan said current wage costs of over €20 an hour for Sunday working are “unjustified” and “completely out of step with other countries”.

He said hoteliers have been forced to curtail services on Sunday as a result.

“There is no doubt that a more reasonable wage arrangement would result in increased employment opportunities on Sundays.

“Hotels simply cannot bear these high rates in the current market. It is jeopardising the viability of hotels which cannot sustain this level of cost and find themselves curtailing services on a Sunday, with harmful knock-on effects to overall customer experience.”

Mr Cullen also said that there can’t be too much over-regulation in Ireland.

He said over-regulation would be “catastrophic” particularly in a small country that has to be “flexible”.

“My belief on a lot of this stuff is it’s about common sense and common sense gives you the best outcomes. It’s not rocket science.”

He said that as we go forward there will be challenges, pain and suffering.

However, despite the challenges, “the world ain’t going to end” and a lot of people will be going on holidays this year.

Speaking on the €10 air travel tax, the minister said he wasn’t “jumping up and down in cabinet cheering it on” and said it was really aimed at the major airports to bring in revenue.

“It is something I’ll keep a very close eye on and will look at the effect of it after its implementation.”