|
|
After
One Month: June 10 - The labor row in Hyatt Regency Manila continues
as the workers marked the first month anniversary of the
strike today. More than 200 strikers and supporters from other
APL affiliates attended the mass held in front of the plush
Hotel. Some 200 regular rank and file
workers struck last May 10, 2002 after the Hotel illegally
sacked 48 regular workers and replaced them with 60
contractual workers. It should be noted that before the strike
the Hotel management ignored the Union’s offer
to take what amounted to pay cuts to avoid retrenchments so
long as management can show proof of financial losses. The
Union’s proposal for cost saving measures even included
taking 30-day vacation leaves without pay and a 5-day working
period. Instead of taking actions to amicably settle the labor row, the Hotel management opted to legally harass the strikers. Last May 15 the Hotel filed before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) a petition for temporary/permanent restraining order. Failing to get such an order, the Hotel management then filed last May 23 a case of illegal strike against the union using the fabricated testimonies of its security officers. Under the Labor Code, all strikers would be terminated should the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) declare the strike as illegal.
Meanwhile, in a letter
addressed to the Labor Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas, Ron
Oswald, General Secretary of the International
Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering,
Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) expressed
that the Global Union “is deeply concerned by this clear
anti union attitude (of the Hotel management).” He then
urged the Secretary of Labor, “to assume jurisdiction over
the dispute and that DOLE issues a return-to-work order for
all the strikers including the 48 employees that the Hotel
terminated on May 5.” IUF
Letter to the Labor Secretary International
Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering,
Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations Rampe
du Pont-Rouge, 8 CH-1213
Petit-Lancy (Switzerland) Telefax
To:
Ms. Patricia A. Sto. Tomas, Secretary of Labor, Department of
Labour and Employment, Fax:
00 63 2 527 34 94 Concerns: Dispute at Hyatt
Regency Hotel Manila Dear
Ms. Tomas We
have been kept informed by our affiliated union representing
workers in the hotel sector, the National Union of Workers in
Hotel, Restaurant and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN), of the
on-going dispute between management and workers at the Hyatt
Regency Hotel in Manila. The
dispute has its source in management’s intention to dismiss
permanent workers and replace them with contract/agency
workers. This represents a clear violation of Article 248
letter c of the Labor Code and article IV, section IV of the
collective bargaining agreement which states that: “The
Hotel shall not contract out services performed by the regular
rank and file employee when the same will interfere with,
restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of the right to
self-organization.” Management
has rejected all proposals from the union to find a solution
to alleged business difficulties. It has persistently denied
the union and the workers the right to be informed about the
true situation of the hotel. Instead it has filed a case
before your Department to have the strike declared illegal. The
IUF, representing more than 10 million workers in the food,
agriculture and hotel industry, is deeply concerned by this
clear anti union attitude. We are convinced that the
Department of Labor and Employment has a role to play to
ensure that basic workers’ rights are respected in a
democratic country like the Philippines. Our
experience at international level in the hotel sector shows
furthermore that the hiring of casual employees whose sense of
loyalty to the hotel, level of qualification and dedication to
the employer is less developed than those of permanent workers
may quickly cause a downgrading of the overall quality of
service in the hotel concerned. This could in turn be the
first step towards a general deterioration of the quality of
service in the hotels in the Philippines and could affect the
tourism activity in your country. We
therefore urge you in a spirit of compromise and to prevent
further troubles in the tourism industry that you assume
jurisdiction over the dispute and that DOLE issues a
return-to-work order for all the strikers including the 48
employees that the Hotel terminated on May 5. It
is our view and that of our affiliates that the union has a
legitimate right to protect the jobs of its members at Hyatt
Regency by all means at their disposal. We will closely
monitor developments at the Manila Hotel and take appropriate
decisions, should the situation deteriorate further. Sincerely
yours, Ron
Oswald
|
Previous Press Statements
|
|---|
|
HOME
|
ABOUT APL
|
PRESS STATEMENTS |
POSITION PAPERS |
BASIC DOCUMENTS |
Alliance of Progressive Labor
(APL) 2002
Manila, Philippines
email: apl@surfshop.net.ph
http://www.apl.org.ph
