About 100 Bagan Tharapa Hotel workers who were sacked from their jobs staged a demonstration on 4 November at the public place designated for demonstrations at Manawraman, Mandalay demanding they be reinstated.

The employer of these workers reportedly issued a statement which says 12 of these hotel workers were laid off as per the law concerned in which 10% of total workers were laid off to compensate for a drop in hotel revenue due to the decline in the hotel and tourism business.

Union-level arbitrators came to the camp of the strikers opened at place near Tharapa Gate in Nyaung U, Bagan on 22 October but were unable to resolve the issue, leading to the demonstration held in Mandalay.

Nay Myo Win, leader of strikers, said, “The employer said at the arbitration conducted by Union-level official that only three of us would be reappointed at our work instead of nine we suggested. Then it could not be settled. The employer applies the 2012 Trade Dispute Law and we apply the 2011 Associations Law as we don’t like the 2012 Law in this dispute. Our employer claims he is working in accordance with the law and so do we. We wish all of us are reappointed in our jobs. We will continue our demonstration until our demands are fulfilled.”

Three of the 12 sacked workers do not wish to continue in this job so that the remaining nine workers have been staging a demonstration near Tharap Gate since 12 October calling to be reappointed to their original posts with their original pay.

Tharapa Hotel Manager Kyaw Hein said, “Since we have exhausted the last stage of arbitration at the union-level, we will continue with the course of law. There will be no more arbitration. We will take the course of law.”

At the demonstration at Manawraman, Mandalay the striking workers are reportedly demanding a stop to sacking workers, calling for “unity of the trade union” and a “reappointing of sacked workers.”