Grand Hyatt Otel İstanbul belonging to Turkey’s one of the biggest capitalist groups Doğuş Holding has stopped its operations on Friday. Yet, on the following day, a national television broadcast, Show TV, reported that the hotel has been put in quarantine after its occupational physician and nurse tested positive for rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
The hotel administration tried to conceal the COVID-19 cases until the news about it appeared on the press, workers of the hotel told ‘‘We Breathe Down the Bosses’ Neck’’ (PE), solidarity, communication and struggle network initiated by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) in 2018 to protect workers’ rights against the crises and capitalist exploitation.
Saying that s/he learned the hotel was put in quarantine when s/he went to his/her house in the evening, a worker stated, ‘‘The occupational physician and nurse has contracted the coronavirus. Authorities say that one of the guests staying at the hotel transmitted the disease to them. I was shocked.’’
‘‘We were just there last night, and our supervisors told us nothing about the issue. Moreover, they tried to persuade us that no traces of the disease were found at the hotel,’’ s/he said.
HOTEL ADMINISTRATION CONCEALED THE TRUTH FROM OPERATIONAL DEPARTMENTS
Noting that the hotel was being operated by a limited number of staff since the beginning of the last week because the offices where white-collar workers were already closed, the worker also told, ‘‘We couldn’t become aware of the situation. Managers were also off the grid, and no information was given to us. On Friday, we were informed that a colleague working in the housekeeping department fell sick and taken to hospital on suspicion of COVID-19. Then, managers held an urgent meeting and closed the hotel.’’
‘‘We were told that this was a precautionary measure, nobody has infected by the disease at the hotel, and we should not believe the rumors. However, I think many colleagues who are aware of the situation were admonished to conceal it,’’ the worker stated.
The worker also said, ‘‘We understood that the hotel management has concealed this fact from us since the beginning of the last week, and it only warned the administrative staff to take necessary precautions for themselves. The health and safety of the rest were neglected,’’ adding that even the general manager stockpiled in his room at the hotel, while the workers were forced to contact ‘‘customers’’ under these circumstances.
TOURISM BOSSES CONTINUE RISKING WORKERS’ LIVES AND DISMISSALS DUE TO COVID-19
Meanwhile, several hotel managements in the country continue to risk the lives of workers and forced them to take unpaid leaves due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘‘The Ankara Hotel’’ in Ankara Train Station located in the capital, belonging to the pro-government capitalist group, Cengiz-Kolin-Limak Partnership, has decided to close its doors until April 15, 2020. In this process, workers will be forced to use their annual leaves if they have. However, the workers, who have no right to take annual leave, will go on unpaid leaves between March 23 and April 15.
Another tourism workers, who contact ‘‘We Breathe Down the Bosses’ Neck’’ (PE), told that the administration of Exe Adahan Galata Hotel in Istanbul dismissed him without giving his rights and salary.
‘‘I have been dismissed due to the coronavirus. The hotel management terminated my employment without giving my rights and forced me to sign the cancellation of the labor contract. I rejected to sign it, saying that they cannot dismiss me for such a reason,’’ the worker said.
Despite the tourism bosses’ suppression and exploitation against tourism workers in face of COVID-19 pandemic, workers in solidarity with PE and other progressive labor unions are decisive in their struggle against profiteer capitalists, underlining that they will resist and protect their rights.
