THE National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant, and Allied Industries-Philippine Plaza Chapter and Philippine Plaza Supervisors Chapter (NUWHRAIN-PPC and PPSC) on Monday denounced in a press conference the alleged “blatant attempt of the Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc. (PPHI, the owner of the Sofitel) to bust the hotel’s unions under the pretense of closure and renovations.” Their main message, said the labor alliance, is this: Sofitel is open for business, yet closed for workers’ rights.
The renovations, with some already finished and others currently underway, will address allegedly unsafe conditions in the hotel. Concerns regarding the hotel workers’ and guests’ safety were brought to light. “Kung unsafe ang conditions, bakit hinahayaan na nandun ang mga manggagawa at mga guest? Bakit nag-aaccept ng bookings?,” asked Gojol. If the safety issues exist, perhaps these could be addressed without the closure. “The fact that such renovations are already underway is proof that the closure is unnecessary. The management cited safety concerns for the closure, as if that is a valid reason to terminate workers,” said the labor group in a statement.
“In light of the closure, reopening will allow PPHI to make up for the billions to be spent on renovations. The reopening is further solidified by PPHI’s application to extend their lease for another 25 years past 2041, which is the expiration of their current lease contract with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), who owns the land. It is extremely doubtful that management has no plans, because they would not simply throw away their investments on time, money, and resources. Why terminate workers if the hotel will reopen?”
The PPC and PPSC said they believe that PPHI intends to bust their unions. “The renovations, the billions spent, and the extensions all point to the undeniable fact that the hotel will eventually reopen. Despite this, the workers are left in the dark by management. With the terminations and the prevention of workers from knowing all necessary plans and information, Sofitel is disorganizing their collectives and throwing away their rights dictated by the unions’ collective bargaining agreement (CBA). These actions cannot be construed in any way other than union busting, as the unionized workers cannot respond properly without the transparency of management regarding their plans and will not be able to return to their jobs after the renovations. Their union busting shows that Sofitel prioritizes profit and greed over the benefits and rights of the workers that made the hotel’s wealth.”
The closure has left around 500 regular workers, and in total over a thousand unemployed.
