Cyprus’ City of Dreams keeps union stewards at bay

Cyprus’ City of Dreams, Europe’s largest integrated casino resort, is moving ahead with plans this year to welcome guests with open arms, but union officials are not among them.

City of Dreams Mediterranean located in Limassol’s Zakaki is expected to open its doors to the public after early summer, boosting expectations for conference tourism on the island for years to come.

First-line supervisors and tourism professionals at the casino-resort have already gone through orientation training on many issues about the town and the island in general, according to a statement last month by Limassol Tourism Company.

But labor union officials say they are being left out of final preparations.

According to a union representative, who spoke on state radio on Wednesday morning, union stewards were blocked from visiting the City of Dreams .

“We went there but security guards did not allow us to enter,” the official said.

Melco International, which controls a consortium that received the one and only casino license available in the Republic of Cyprus, is known for collaborating with local institutions and organizations in host countries.

During talent events last year, education ministry officials thanked Melco Cyprus for the company’s initiatives in supporting projects where vocational students could have an opportunity to learn from highly experienced and qualified trainer professionals.

“We have no doubt that our students have a lot to gain from such highly skilled instructors with vast experience in global hospitality services,” Education ministry official Elias Markadjis was quoted as saying last year.

This week new Labor Minister Yiannis Panayiotou made references to a debate on work visa quotas, after earlier attempts to increase the number of third-country nationals allowed in businesses was criticized by some groups but did not go far enough for others, including employers.

“We want to ensure that the provisions of the policy will be implemented, that the implementation of the policy will not be subject to any exploitation, and that organizations and businesses that need to employ workers from third countries through specific criteria will be able to operate without obstructions,” Panayiotou said.

Union bosses argue that Melco’s denial to allow access to employees is against the rules, while union critics in Cyprus have accused labor organizations of pushing for contracts that essentially make it difficult to fire unproductive workers.