General Observation

[charlste]

My wife and i have been coming to calis for over 25 years now and over the last couple of years have noticed how the waiters,restauranters are becoming more rude and aggresive.we know many stalwarts on the front in calis and i wont mention names but they have gone from being your best friend when you are going in their bar/restaurant and then eventually turning their backs on you when you dont frequent their premises.we have even brought duty frees,bacon, sausage etc from the uk for them.The prices have recently gone up but its as if they dont care.One chap said to me tonight you brits are rich you can afford it.we have always loved the turkish hospitality but i am afraid its going down hill.I would never stop coming but i just think this is sad.We come for 12 weeks every year but the way its going we will be spending more time on our balcony having a drink etc than frequenting the bars and restaurants.

[Toky]

I'm a bit disheartened by their "end of season" attitude. They are all moaning and not just counting the days, but the hours til they go home. Not one of them that I've spoken to are going to be working during the winter. Well bloody lucky them! It's a luxury that I can't experience.

[charlste]

I couldnt agree more .I spoke to one chap tonight and he thinks its great that he will spend the winter in bed.I said to him that i dont think the turkish people will be able to sustain that much longer and they will have to try to find work in the winter.The cost of living is expensive all over the world so how can they keep working for just 5 months.Am i missing something or are these people earning mega money?

[Scunner]

There's always been a bit of that - maybe not as much as you experienced and I don't particularly recall any of it but then I am now a start of season visitor so they should all be fresh and upbeat for the coming season when I am there. I think also in the interests of fairness, by the season end it is fair to say that they have worked 6 months of very long hours and are in many cases just realising that they probably won't be getting paid the last few months wages as promised. This I have known to be the case many times.

No excuse, but perhaps a possible reason.

[Highlander]

I was going to make a similar point.

I work 37.5 hours per week for 47 weeks = 1762.50 hours per annum

My friend in Mangal seems to work at least 12 hours per day. Assuming he has one day off a week, which is by no means certain, and he works from April to October, I reckon that's 2016 hours per annum

[nichola]

There is no excuse for bad manners and rudeness. But...

The truth is though that many people come to the area for seasonal work because there aren't the jobs "back home". There aren't enough winter jobs in Fethiye for many of the Fethiye locals that are employed in the tourist sector.

It's still no excuse but many migrant workers will have been working 14-16 hour days in some of the more popular bars and restaurants with no real time off, sharing a scummy room with the others they work with for the past six months, eating staff meals usually only vegetarian.

Unemployment is high and wages are low and they rely on tips to boost their pay, if they are being paid! You'd be surprised how many employers think it is OK to make staff ask for and chase their pay and how many leave the area without all the pay they are due.

The money they do take home is probably going to support an extended family all winter.

PS I remember once when I came on an extra trip to Turkey at the end of the season many moons ago and recall thinking how fed up and down many of the people who were so friendly and cheerful at the beginning of season were. Maybe times haven't really changed that much!

[charlste]

You have probably got a point in what you are saying Keith but these people i am on about i have known for years who i thought i could call friends,probably naive of me but they just ignore my wife and i now.
We came in may and june and their attitude was the same then because we were not going in their restaurant.It was nothing personal but sometimes they move to a different place and we might not like the surroundings etc. 

[charlste]

Couldnt agree more about the hours worked but i bet you give you 100% and are not rude to people.

[Toky]

I suppose Nicola,  that casts a better understanding of people's current attitude. It's easy to forget that other countries don't have the same employment rights that the uk have. Maybe I should be more empathetic rather than being disheartened.

[Scunner]

It's disappointing to hear whatever the 'reasons' might be. I am struggling to remember anything we experienced of this type - maybe everyone is pleased to see me   . We tend to eat more in Fethiye these days - not for any reason other than the restaurants we miss most are more often there. Walking down the prom in Calis I tend to chat to many of the guys outside and they don't seem upset that we are going elsewhere. Probably glad of the early night