NUWHRAIN-National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant & Allied Industries

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Topic: Dagdag sahod isabatas! P150 pataas!

With one day left before the Sofitel Philippine Plaza's closure, members of the workers' union, alonside NUWHRAIN, SENTRO, and other allied organizations are taking part in an action to advance the unions' demands.

Time Runs Short, Mr. Steve Peña Sy – Ipakita Mo Ang Tunay Na Malasakit.
NUWHRAIN-SENTRO-IUF Press Conference Statement
The unions of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, forming a part of over a thousand workers who will be terminated by July 1, have been conducting daily pickets at 5:00 PM in front of the hotel until June 30. Addressing the Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc (PPHI), particularly to PPHI president Peña Sy, the Philippine Plaza Chapter (PPC) and the Philippine Plaza Supervisors Chapter (PPSC) unions demand the PPHI to have an agreement with them. While our members picket during the remaining days of the hotel’s operations, presidents and representatives of unions from other hotels have gathered to wholeheartedly express their support for the workers of Sofitel. Allies from other hotels are more than willing to support the workers of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza before it closes and until it eventually reopens.
During meetings with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), President Peña Sy discussed that the Sofitel Philippine Plaza has multiple safety issues that must be addressed, which they plan to fix. This makes it clear that these concerns require renovations. Given such renovations, it is clear that the PPHI is planning a future for the hotel; they would not simply improve their facilities and then close it down. And yet why did they terminate all of their workers?
With this in mind, we demand the PPHI to sit down with the unions and have an agreement for guaranteed employment and recognition of their unions and their collective bargaining agreement. We demand President Peña Sy to face the workers with genuine and serious concern to set this agreement in stone – show that he truly cares for the workers. Five days remain before the hotel’s closure, yet Sy and the PPHI continue to refuse to heed its workers’ demands. If they do not address this soon, this can lead to a global campaign against the PPHI, ACCOR, and other businesses connected to them!
The the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) and the International Union of Food (IUF) have already conducted actions during the past few weeks, some of which have been met with aggressive attempts of disruption from Sofitel Philippine Plaza security. This is concrete proof of the Philippines’ inclusion in the top ten worst countries for workers made by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). We call on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to intervene and address the PPHI’s union busting.
Our allied public sector unions, through a separate letter addressed to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), demand the protection of the hotel workers’ rights against the PPHI’s union-busting. On a global level, we have written to the International Union of Food (IUF) to demand ACCOR, the owners of the Sofitel brand, to order their Philippine representative to sit with the union. We are also asking the IUF to protest the ACCOR, urging them to address the union-busting conducted by the PPHI.
Time is running short, so we are utilizing any means necessary for the demands of the Sofitel unions. Our pickets for the last remaining days of the hotel will continue. A continuation of the NCMB hearing will also be held later today at 3:30. While the collectives of the NUWHRAIN, SENTRO, and IUF, and our allies take action in the streets, President Peña Sy and the PPHI have yet to face our workers with a genuine heart. Our actions of care and compassion for the Sofitel workers must be met in kind with the same genuine empathy from the PPHI. While time runs short, there is still a chance for the jobs and rights of the hotel workers to be respected. # # #

Time Runs Short, Mr. Steve Peña Sy – Ipakita Mo Ang Tunay Na Malasakit.

NUWHRAIN-SENTRO-IUF Press Conference Statement

The unions of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, forming a part of over a thousand workers who will be terminated by July 1, have been conducting daily pickets at 5:00 PM in front of the hotel until June 30.

Addressing the Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc (PPHI), particularly to PPHI president Peña Sy, the Philippine Plaza Chapter (PPC) and the Philippine Plaza Supervisors Chapter (PPSC) unions demand the PPHI to have an agreement with them. While our members picket during the remaining days of the hotel’s operations, presidents and representatives of unions from other hotels have gathered to wholeheartedly express their support for the workers of Sofitel. Allies from other hotels are more than willing to support the workers of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza before it closes and until it eventually reopens.

During meetings with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), President Peña Sy discussed that the Sofitel Philippine Plaza has multiple safety issues that must be addressed, which they plan to fix. This makes it clear that these concerns require renovations. Given such renovations, it is clear that the PPHI is planning a future for the hotel; they would not simply improve their facilities and then close it down. And yet why did they terminate all of their workers?

With this in mind, we demand the PPHI to sit down with the unions and have an agreement for guaranteed employment and recognition of their unions and their collective bargaining agreement. We demand President Peña Sy to face the workers with genuine and serious concern to set this agreement in stone – show that he truly cares for the workers. Five days remain before the hotel’s closure, yet Sy and the PPHI continue to refuse to heed its workers’ demands. If they do not address this soon, this can lead to a global campaign against the PPHI, ACCOR, and other businesses connected to them!

The the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) and the International Union of Food (IUF) have already conducted actions during the past few weeks, some of which have been met with aggressive attempts of disruption from Sofitel Philippine Plaza security. This is concrete proof of the Philippines’ inclusion in the top ten worst countries for workers made by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). We call on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to intervene and address the PPHI’s union busting.

Our allied public sector unions, through a separate letter addressed to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), demand the protection of the hotel workers’ rights against the PPHI’s union-busting. On a global level, we have written to the International Union of Food (IUF) to demand ACCOR, the owners of the Sofitel brand, to order their Philippine representative to sit with the union. We are also asking the IUF to protest the ACCOR, urging them to address the union-busting conducted by the PPHI.

Time is running short, so we are utilizing any means necessary for the demands of the Sofitel unions. Our pickets for the last remaining days of the hotel will continue. A continuation of the NCMB hearing will also be held later today at 3:30. While the collectives of the NUWHRAIN, SENTRO, and IUF, and our allies take action in the streets, President Peña Sy and the PPHI have yet to face our workers with a genuine heart. Our actions of care and compassion for the Sofitel workers must be met in kind with the same genuine empathy from the PPHI. While time runs short, there is still a chance for the jobs and rights of the hotel workers to be respected.
# # #

SOFITEL: Open for Business, Closed for Workers’ Rights!