Thousands of Sofitel employees sacked amid closure

Despite assurances that the closure of the iconic Sofitel Philippine Plaza is just temporary, a group of employees has hit the management of the posh hotel after deciding to sack more than 1,000 employees, a month before the hotel officially shuts its door on 1 July 2024.

According to the National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant, and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN), representing the terminated employees of Sofitel, the hotel management plans to make a significant renovation, yet the improvement of facilities and features has already progressed, with some having finished just this year.

"The renovations will address allegedly unsafe conditions in the hotel. Given that the renovations will continue, the union believes that the closure is only temporary and that the hotel will eventually reopen. So, we ask, why terminate the workers if the establishment will continue its operations?" said Arnold Bautista, a member of NUWHRAIN Philippine Plaza Chapter (PPC) and Philippine Plaza Supervisors Chapter (PPSC), which represent the rank-and-file and supervisory employees of Sofitel, in a press conference on Monday in Manila.

Also, the employees alleged that despite the lives and livelihoods of employees at stake, hotel management refuses to act with honesty and transparency, concealing their plans for the hotel's future.

"The reopening will allow the Philippine Plaza Holdings Inc. (PPHI-the owner of the Sofitel) to make up for the possible billions to be spent on renovations since they are applying 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, who owns the land," the group said.

Moreover, they alleged that their union was not even consulted when the termination was done.

"These terminations cannot be construed in any way other than union busting, as they leave no possibility for the unionized workers to return to their jobs after the reopening. With the workers left in the gutters, it is clear that hotel owners and management did not even engage in meaningful consultations with the workers' unions," they said.

Furthermore, the union members said they demand that PPHI recognize and respect the workers' unions by engaging with them in meaningful negotiations.

"The rights assured by their CBA must be upheld. This is so that the workers will benefit from the hotel's plans, rather than being left behind. The ACCOR Hotel Group, which owns the Sofitel brand and manages the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, must be held accountable for failing to ensure that the PPHI does not violate the rights of their workers," they said.

Earlier, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco assured that they will help the management of PPHI, as well as its employees affected by the closure, "in any way they can," in a meeting with Sofitel officials, headed by its General Manager Olivier Larcher, last 13 May.

Frasco said they express grave concern for the employees who will be losing their livelihood as a result of the closure, noting that the DoT, through its NCR office, is assisting Sofitel in the job fairs to be held for the affected employees.

Asked for the development of the promised aid, the DoT did not answer the DAILY TRIBUNE's query.

During their meeting with Frasco, Esteban Peña Sy, the president of PPHI and owner of Sofitel Philippine Plaza, said that separation packages would be offered to affected employees, and job training seminars "so they will be adequately equipped" as they transition to new roles.

Sy, however, did not say whether the hotel will be reopening again.