New York hotel maids given 'panic buttons'

PA

Hotels in New York are set to supply their housekeepers and staff with panic buttons in case of emergencies.

Maids who need to enter guest rooms will be given the portable alarms within the next year, according to Lisa Linden, spokeswoman for the Hotel Association of New York.

The devices were included in part of a seven-year contract between the association and its unions, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Some reports have suggested the action comes in the wake of a hotel maid's claim that IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her at the Sofitel.

Strauss-Kahn was arrested in May 2010, but authorities eventually dropped the charges against him, citing doubts about his accuser's credibility, according to Reuters.

Linden, however, did not link the panic buttons to the Strauss-Kahn case, saying: "It has been under discussion for some time."

John Turchiano, spokesman for the New York Hotel Trades Council, the union representing more than 30,000 hotel workers in New York, said: "It's unfortunate but there are instances when guests behave inappropriately. This would be a really good way to cut down on that and give our members strong protections."

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