The facade of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City. (PNA file photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – A group of workers of the iconic Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel backed a lawmaker's resolution seeking an investigation into the hotel's impending closure.
"This is a laudable move. It is high time that workers be provided with solid guarantees against union busting," Marco Gojol, deputy secretary general of the National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN), said in a statement on Friday.
Senator Risa Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution 1059 on June 24, calling for an investigation into the labor policy implications of the hotel's closure.
"We call for greater transparency from Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc. and demand answers regarding the true reasons behind this decision," Hontiveros said.
Gojol claimed that the closure of the hotel will displace over 1,000 workers and affect their families.
The 51-year-old hotel will have its last day of business on June 30, according to Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc. (PPHI) president Esteban Peña Sy.
In June last year, Sy said the company allocated about PHP3 to PHP4 billion to rehabilitate the building, which they plan on recovering through the remaining 17 years on their lease with the Government Service Insurance System.
The PPHI is also seeking a lease extension for 25 more years or up to 2066.
"Sofitel's secrecy about post-renovation plans leaves workers anxious and uncertain about their future. Its refusal to provide job guarantees to all those affected and to continue respecting the union and its CBA (collective bargaining agreement) should it reopen tells us it is only after one thing: to bust the union,” he said.
PPHI informed the workers of their termination on May 8, citing safety as the only factor for closing down Sofitel.
In previous statements, Sy said there have been “many incidents” in recent years.
"We engaged independent and internationally renowned safety consultancy firms to conduct safety audits and they advised us the hotel is not safe for operations," he said in a previous statement. (PNA)
