When the University Hotel (UH) ceased operations during the pandemic, the beleaguered hotel had to reduce employees’ working days to one to two days a week, receiving salaries as low as around P280 per day, narrated UH worker Jerry Podol. During these dire times, workers relied on the UH Workers Union (UHWU), which spearheaded initiatives to fight for their rights and secure aid such as rice subsidies.
But this union now confronts the challenge of non-recognition from the management. On June 2, the UHWU hung a banner near the UH, calling the management to respect and acknowledge union committees and the provisions stipulated in their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The University Hotel Workers Union (UHWU) hung a banner on June 2 near the UH, following the management’s non-recognition of various committees set by the collective bargaining agreement. (University Hotel Workers Union)
Such incident provides a glimpse into the conditions of workers’ unions within UP struggling for proper recognition, exposing the gaps in the university administration’s commitment to its employees’ labor rights.
With Reservations
UHWU Vice President Podol has worked as a waiter at UH since 2001. He is also the union chair of the grievance committee, which is the formal channel composed of union and management representatives that resolves grievances between the employer and employees. This committee is a product of the renewed CBA that the union negotiated with the management in November 2022, shortly after hotel operations resumed.
A CBA is a contract between an employer and a union that represents the employees, which contains the terms and conditions of employment, such as those related to wages, job security, and work hours.
But issues with the management still arose. The management’s non-recognition of various committees set by the CBA, such as those responsible for training, uniform acquisition, and grievances, is the primary source of the workers’ problems, Podol said. Without these committees, workers are unable to communicate their concerns with the management and forward their demands through official channels.
For one, the UH management began to talk to each worker individually about possible concerns instead of approaching the union through the grievance committee, said Podol.
This precipitated the union’s decision to hang a banner near the hotel. Being the sole bargaining agent, the union is supposedly designated as the workers’ representative in dialogues. Bypassing it erodes the legitimacy of the commitments made in their negotiations.
“Kung may problema man sa workers, dapat kumausap ang management sa grievance committee para ma-address ang problema ng mga manggagawa,” Podol added.