Smoking ban could cost jobs
The head of the Turkey Coffeehouses and Cafes Federation says the forthcoming ban on smoking in public places could cost industry workers their jobs.
Federation President Murat Agaoglu said when the ban officially goes into effect July 19, the nearly 1 million people employed in the industry could be facing the potential loss of their jobs, the Anatolian Agency reported Monday.
Agaoglu said the ban would only put additional stress on an industry already struggling during the worldwide economic downturn.
“At the moment coffeehouse owners are very worried because the implementation of the smoking ban will completely kill an already stagnant business,” Agaoglu said.
“We are already struggling to put bread on our tables due to the economic crisis. With this ban we will have to shutter our businesses and join the army of the unemployed.”
The federation official advocated for the creation of separate smoking and non-smoking areas for coffeehouse customers, the news agency said.
“Smokers and non-smokers would be separated. Isn’t the whole point of this ban to protect non-smokers from smoke? The new law doesn’t even allow for that,” Agaoglu said.
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