More than 23,000 employees of the tourist sector at risk of losing their jobs || Newspapers (Arabic)

The President of the union of restaurants and coffee shops establishments, Paul Ariss, resigned last Friday, after failing in amending the new anti-tobacco regulation. Ariss warned the government of serious consequences arising from his resignation, indicating that workers of the tourism sector will lead peaceful demonstrations to protest the on-going destruction of the most significant industry in Lebanon,
Ariss also added that one cannot understand how parliamentarians allow themselves to smoke in their offices while banning smoking in public places while destroying tourism and the hospitality sector. He indicated that his union will resort to escalation if parliament does not positively respond to the demands of workers and employees.
Furthermore, he emphasized the intolerable losses suffered by the sector particularly since the restaurants have recoded almost no reservations on the Adha occasion, and Coffee shops and restaurants have each witnessed a decrease of 60% and 70% respectively. He concluded by saying that more than one thousand employees are threatened to lose their jobs, and that this latter figure may rise to 23,000 employees if the government does not amend the tobacco regulation.

Source: Assafir, Annahar 20 October 2012