Koper - Tensions between the current management at gaming company Hit and staff are not something new, and threats with a strike have been in the air for a long time, Primorske Novice paper says on Saturday, a day after Hit workers went on strike to be held every weekend until the end of the year if no agreement is reached with the management.

The fact is that many Hit employees have long not had the good wages they used to have and consequently, the standard of living they used to enjoy.

"Those who have worked at Hit for more than 20 years still remember the golden days, with all the allowances and bonuses, which then started to be cut, while the workers were pressured, laid off, and those who remained were given more tasks to do."

The management's response to all the criticism and demands so far has been that the company must adapt to the hard market conditions.

When the SIDS trade union, which has some 600 members, announced the strike, the management said it came in the face of good business and the highest average wages in a decade.

It also criticised SIDS for not being happy with more than a 20% rise in the average wage, EUR 1,900 in holiday allowance, a bonus for high prices, and other benefits.

"The views of SIDS and the management are almost diametrically opposed and it will be difficult to bring them together. As far as the strike is concerned, it would be much better for its success if the other two trade unions at Hit - VRBA and GIT - had also joined it," the regional paper says under the headline No Unity.

But it would be even better if compromises were sought and social dialogue was strengthened to bridge the gap of misunderstanding and conflict to steer the company in the right direction after many misguided moves in the past.

The paper says that some have been pointing out for a long time that Hit's future is not only in the gambling business, but also in the hospitality and tourism industry.