Just one more week, then we close off the Updates year and begin 2023. I don't know about you, but the past year has really flown by for me. So much has happened. Not only in hospitality, but also beyond, in the world around us. We all faced developments that we couldn't do much about ourselves. First the tail end of corona, then the war in Ukraine began, followed by the energy crisis hitting us with high energy prices and a significant loss of purchasing power.
You might almost think that 2022 brought nothing good. In my view, that's really not the case. In February, we reached good CLA agreements with Koninklijke hospitality Nederland (KHN) for a stable foundation over a two-year period. Agreements that you – our members – overwhelmingly said 'yes' to, ensuring that wages in hospitality will significantly increase in two steps. A historic salary increase, the first of which has already taken place, and the next will occur in January 2023 through adjustments in the salary structure. Most of you will see at least a four percent increase in wages.
We also saw that guests found their way back to hospitality en masse this year. Unfortunately, we can't yet say the same about new hospitality staff. The new CLA with better employment conditions and rising wages has made working in hospitality more attractive, were it not for the fact that the higher wages are partly offset by the energy crisis, among other things. Despite all efforts, we must acknowledge that the staff shortage has not yet decreased and the workload has actually increased. This presents a real challenge: ensuring that our skilled workers – the driving forces in hospitality – do not burn out or drop out, as the balance between work and private life is often really hard to find and the workload can sometimes be unhealthily high. Both subjects are always on our radar.
In 2023, steps will be taken to somewhat compensate for the Updates loss of purchasing power. Consider the significant salary increase in hospitality from 1 January 2023, the increase in the statutory minimum salary, and the introduction of the energy cap. We realise that the pain will not be completely removed, but ultimately everyone will see a little more in their bank account each month.
In 2023, KHN, CNV and FNV hospitality will also continue to work on elaborating the made CLA agreements. We will update the significantly outdated job classification to the Updates times and revise the associated salary structure. As a sector, we want to become competitive again with other sectors.
Around the summer of 2023, we will gather your input to use during the CLA negotiations. The Updates CLA runs until 31 December 2023, and your opinion on how we can make the sector more attractive from 2024 is extremely important!
Finally, after two years of hospitality being closed at Christmas, we can welcome guests without restrictions this year. To everyone working these days, I want to say: have a great time and enjoy it, even though it may sometimes be tough due to a shortage of colleagues. And to those who are enjoying some time off, I want to say: enjoy the time with your loved ones.
I wish everyone very happy holidays and a beautiful and pleasant 2023. A year in which we pay more attention to the things that are going well. Because there's already enough misery in the world, let's bring out the positive in ourselves. It's good for your health and gives you energy.
Regards!
Edwin Vlek
Union representative FNV hospitality