The Albanian government’s second financial assistance package has failed to address the needs of those working in the tourism sector.
The assistance which started to be distributed on 21 April has so far been approved for 1,930 individuals out of a possible 10,000. So far only 19% have been granted salary claims.
The problem with those employed in the tourism sector is that anyone who was fired after 12 April is excluded from applying. Additionally, 60,000 seasonal employees that work between May and September have been left out.
Rrahman Kasa, President of the Albanian Tourist Union told Monitor that the package only benefits those who lost their jobs a month ago and ignores employees of large businesses such as hotels, travel agencies and tour operators.
“In this period, hotels have a low number of employees. For example, if I have 12-13 employees during this period, in the summer months the number goes up to 70. Most employees in the tourism sector are seasonal. In total, the number of employees in the tourism sector with seasonal and permanent employees is 100,000, of which 60,000 are seasonal. They work between May and September and have been left out of the aid package”, he said.
For the period between Mach and April, the total number of people who left the national insurance scheme was 61,000. Of these, up until 10 April 57,000 received assistance from packages one and two, while 4,000 will receive nothing.
