Rio Casino: “They bet” … and the workers lost – the business was closed to permanent closure

With a modest announcement, the Rio Casino management announced yesterday, via social media, the suspension of its operation for the next two months. It was preceded by a temporary revocation of the company’s operating license by the Games Supervision and Control Commission, as predicted by Peloponnesos and confirmed by EEEP President Dimitris Dzanatos, after the bailout wreck.

The business is now exposed to any creditors filing for bankruptcy with all creditors at a loss. Faced with this visible danger, the trade union hastened yesterday with a letter to the Acting Minister of Finance, the President of EEEP and the Director of e-EFKA, to request the appointment of a temporary administration by resorting to voluntary jurisdiction. From the courts or even by decision of the Minister of Finance.

You invoke the threat of complete bankruptcy of the company and at the same time ask for injunctive measures to protect what is left of the business. In fact, he declares in advance that none of the company’s employees and members of the union’s management will participate in it.

We lose everything…

The union asserts thatForeclosure is not a solution and all creditors – including employees – will lose all our claims». He adds that “Such a measure, in the middle of the pre-election period, would – again – lead hundreds of families of casino workers to unemployment, but also in a state of economic poverty. In addition, due to the elections and the absence of an elected government, there is no possibility of political manipulation in such a serious situation, and the sequence of administrative actions will impose a fait accompli and lead to the final “closure” of the institution.

The union justifies its separation from Glafka Capital, pointing out that the investor tried to include them in safeguards against creditors, in violation of the labor claims settlement agreement they signed last March.

Assembly responsibilities

The head of Glavka Petros Milonas expressed a different opinion of the “Peloponissos”.. He accused the union of “playing with the fortunes of 220 families” and “giving a free chance” to the bailout, Upon hearing of the temporary injunction to protect the casino from creditors last week, the investor was confronted.

In his letter to “P” Mr. Mylonas asserts that “Neither the investor nor the company has at any time declared to the staff association its intention not to pay the old dues, as stipulated in the contract between usHe explains that “we have requested a temporary protection order until the appeal is heard which, if it has a positive outcome, will also oblige us as a new shareholder and by a court decision to comply with the agreement, as this will be part of the ratification decision.”

Gambling with employees

The labor union, despite knowing that if the application was denied, the EEEP was obligated to revoke the casino’s license, made the main intervention to demand that the application be denied.

Mr. Mylonas considers this attitude towards the union incomprehensible, saying:Unfortunately, throughout our interest, the sudden death of the company has been a major tool in the trade union council’s negotiating tactics, and we have repeatedly emphasized that it is very dangerous for the future of the company. Unfortunately, the last very serious move by the club’s major intervention against the temporary measures which everyone knew were the only legal means of keeping the casino open, now results in the closure of the casino and the loss of all claims by all parties and our own investment.”

Three companies are interested, but without encumbrances

Games Committee Chairman Dimitris Dzanatos said in his remarks That the goal is to reopen the casino, but with different conditions. In order to do this, a legislative regulation is needed, which will be proposed to the next government, and which will provide for the possibility of granting the Ministry of Finance a temporary license for a new company and a new investor, a company that will not have any obligation to employees, EFKA and the public, because these obligations are burdensome Tax ID of Rio Casino, still affiliated with Kostas Piladakis.

The new company would hire from the beginning and would have nothing to do with the profits owed by Mr. Peladaky’s company of employees, which would go bankrupt.

According to the report, interest in the new, unencumbered license for the Rio casino is said to have been shown by Ivan Savvidis’ Porto Carras, the Hard Rock which will house the casino in Elliniko and the Loutraki casino.
However, this solution requires new legislation.