By Rosli Abidin Yahya
The war in Iraq and the global
outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has not
only affected the travel industry but also several other related
industries, such as the hotel industry.
One of the leading hotels in
Brunei Darussalam is said to have been retrenching some of its
staff ever since last month.
According to several hotel
staff, more than 100 employees - including locals - may find
themselves jobless in the near future.
They went on to add that as
many as 50 locals had lost their jobs recently, and that those
who are currently employed are both fearful and nervous at the
prospect of being made redundant.
"Please help us by making
the hotel stop the retrenchment policy. If we were to be made
jobless in the near future, our families will suffer too,"
they said.
Disciplinary reasons - such as
reporting late for work - were the excuses given for their
dismissal.
Hotel staff, however, claims
that such reasons for their dismissal were merely lame excuses,
knowing that 'the hotel is in real need to retrench workers in
order to make a turn-around from the present mediocre economic
state."
Retrenched employees were
reportedly compensated with only a month's salary.
"The management should
consider other avenues as some of the sacked locals need their
jobs to support their families.
"Besides, unemployment
would only burden the nation," said an employee.
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