Where are the Missing Entertainers
in North Cyprus?
By Chris Elliott…….
There is a lot of talk at the moment of North Cyprus restaurants and bars finding it very difficult to book entertainers and their options for Christmas and the New Year celebrations have slumped to a few Turkish Cypriots entertainers or those expatriates who have gained citizenship and have a Kimlik card.
Why is this you may ask? Due to petty jealousy and the rabid activities of a few expatriate entertainers in the past few months through social media and newspapers where they have tried to justify their existence. They have also sought to deflect public interest away from
those expatriate entertainers who obtained work permits through the sole legal entertainers’ agency.
Was it any surprise by those that intended to ignore TRNC laws and regulations. that their foolhardy promotion in social media and newspapers caused the authorities to start clamping down and now there are only a few entertainers available and perhaps not enough to support demand.
The outcome is well known and unless a miracle is found, the concept of a legal entertainers agency will disappear along with their entertainers and already rumours abound of agencies which are being set up. Will they be created in accordance with TRNC law, if not then they run the risk of falling foul of the authorities very quickly along with the entertainers that may have been recruited. To read more on this subject click here
The biggest risk in the next few months will be run by the restaurants and bars because if they are seen to be using illegal entertainers by the authorities they will receive large fines for breaking the law.
Perhaps this year for Christmas and New year celebrations in North Cyprus it may be best to invite friends around for lunch and to share the occasion and even listen to the Queen’s speech if that’s what you enjoy.
I cannot agree more.I am lucky enough to have a pension which lets me live very comfortably. but I also like being part of the social scene and I love doing quizzes. I regularly did quizzes and got nothing except my petrol money for doing so. At one stage I was delivery the Quiz to over 20 teams. 2 so called legal entertainers challenged me and said I was out of order. I asked them if they were prepared to do the Quiz at any time on my behalf but just for their petrol costs. To which they laughed and said no way. I then pointed out that the money earned by the bar on the Quiz night allowed the owner to employ legal acts at the weekend. I f I didn’t do the Quiz the owner would cancel a ‘ll future legal bookings. The 2 so called professionals made such a stink about it, threatening to report the bar owner etc etc. that the quizzes were cancelled. guess. what, so were all the future legal bookings. Well done, over 100 people disappointed about no quiz , an empty bar on quiz night and No weekend entertainment from the PROFESSIONALS
Thank you B Hills for your comment and whilst we can be sympathetic at the end of the day expatriates are given permission to live here in the TRNC as visitors/resident or with work permits. We could all like to claim special privileges but in law that’s not possible here in the TRNC and the only people who can legally take wages of expenses are those with work permits.
You say you were given a bad time by so called legal entertainers but then so were other legal entertainers and in so doing the low profile illegal entertainers also suffered.
By the way are you the same B Hills who has been involved with charity events which used legal entertainers??
Very interesting debate which could be extended to cover many other area’s of illegal workers.
How many of us employ gardeners /window cleaners/tradesmen knowing they do not have a work permit.
I think we must all be guilty of this so where do you draw the line?
Well said Art.
It could be argued that if the TRNC laws were drawn up or amended to allow expatriates to be part time workers and self employed or work through agencies, then the state could draw in large sums of much needed revenue and in so doing the black economy would shrink.
Much to simple and effective for this to happen…..this after all is Cyprus!😄😄😄