By Stefanos Evripidou
THE Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a company dealing in long-term holiday contracts to employ 105 foreign sales representatives, after the Labour Ministry refused to approve their application on the grounds that existing salesmen were employing street-sale tactics that bordered on harassment.
Maxima Marketing Ltd started its operations in Paphos in 2001 with 45 sales reps. The salesmen would pitch UK couples on the street, selling either long-term holiday contracts or timeshare deals.
On March 11, 2002, the company applied for work permits for 105 salesmen. The Labour Ministry rejected the application on the grounds that the 45 that were approved the year before had caused problems.
According to yesterday’s Phileleftheros, the 45 sales reps were approved for employment on condition they would be used to train local workers. Meanwhile, in June last year, the ministry approved 35 more salesmen for employment.
However, in the last two years, several reports have highlighted the growing problem of foreign timeshare salesmen posted on main streets in tourist areas like Ayia Napa and Paphos, who reportedly harass foreign couples that walk by.
Labour Ministry officials sent two letters to the appellate company pointing out the aggressive tactics used by their sales reps, reminding them that their work permits were approved on the grounds that they would train local staff to replace foreign personnel. According to the paper, Maxima did not respond to either letter.
The company appealed against the ministry’s decision, arguing that they had not been heard before their application was rejected. The appeal was lost last month when Supreme Court Judge, Christos Artemides, ruled that their argument did not stand since the company neither replied to the two letters sent by the Ministry nor challenged their content.
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