THE state government will assist the retrenched employees of the Singapore-owned Hotel Royal Penang in Jalan Larut to seek employment following its decision to close after Nov 14 for a restructuring exercise.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin today had a virtual meeting with Hotel Royal Group director of operations Lee Chu Bing and Hotel Royal Penang general manager Amran Taib to know more about their situation and future plans.
Chow and Yeoh told them that the state would do its best to help those retrenched employees.
“We will be helping those retrenched employees to seek jobs elsewhere.
“The state will assist the employees to locate for temporary jobs in order for them to earn a living.
“We understand that the current Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone of us,” he said in Komtar today.
During the online meeting, Chow also noted the plight of the hotel and tourism industry, which is considered to be the hardest-hit, especially in the ongoing pandemic.
“We understand that no one can know when the situation will return to the pre-Covid-19 days.
“We also don’t know how soon the recovery will be,” he said.
Yeoh said his office would do its best to help the affected employees.
“As I know, there is a demand for workers in the manufacturing sector in Penang.
“However, I also hope that they can remain in the tourism sector as we don’t want to lose their resources when tourism resumes.
“Anyway, we hope to see Hotel Royal Penang reopen in future,” he said.
Lee pointed out that the hotel had incurred high costs in the last few years.
“We have no choice but to close one of our hotels after operating for a few decades.
“We are also unsure of the recovery pace during this pandemic period.
“I would like to thank the state for assisting us in this challenging period,” he added.
Amran also complimented the state for its effort to help out the affected employees.
“In fact, we have also engaged with other authorities to find ways to assist our staff,” he said.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting