Overlooking Manila Bay in Pasay City lies the five-star hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, where the likes of celebrities and heads of state have graced its fully furnished rooms and upscale amenities. But outside the luxurious establishment, guests are greeted by a picket line of workers on the streets with placards calling for job security amid the hotel management’s sudden notice of termination.  

Yesterday, thousands of employees who once labored to maintain the hotel’s pristine reputation lost their livelihoods. Yet, Sofitel refuses to negotiate for their rights and repeatedly cites structural safety issues to justify ceasing operations. 

However, the calls of Sofitel’s workers paint a different picture. The dubious reason for the abrupt closure is seen as merely a front to disguise the hotel’s true intentions of infringing on worker's rights.

No Vacancy

Despite weeks of protest, Sofitel’s management continues to neglect the calls of its vulnerable employees who will lose their source of income, and with it, the means to provide for their families.

The nearly 50-year-old hotel is owned by Philippine Plaza Holdings Incorporated (PPHI), but the Sofitel chain is managed by the French multinational company Accor. As part of its expansion strategy in the Philippines, Accor has recently acquired two new properties in Subic earlier this year. Accor has hotels all over the country, such as in Manila, Cebu City, and Boracay, among others.

On May 7, management disclosed the hotel’s closure during a joint meeting with the National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant & Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN) Philippine Plaza Chapter. The day after, letters were issued to employees informing them of their status as pre-terminated until July 1. Sofitel has remained uncompromising for an agreement with the union since then.

Around 1,200 employees lost their livelihoods, consisting of 500 regular employees and 700 contractual workers.

Peter Salvador, a room attendant that has worked at Sofitel for 19 years routinely cleaning and servicing rooms, is among hundreds of employees whose livelihoods have been terminated. “Pagkatapos mong bigyan ng magandang serbisyo ang hotel… hindi pa rin kami pinahalagahan. Mas inuna pa rin nila kung anong business ang kanilang tinataguyod,” he said.

Peter Salvador, a room attendant who has worked at Sofitel for 19 years, is among hundreds of employees whose livelihoods have been terminated. (Patrick Kyle Adeva/Philippine Collegian)

Salvador was one of the employees laid off during a retrenchment in 2010 when Sofitel disbanded its laundry department and outsourced the services instead. Eventually, he was rehired due to efforts from the union. For other workers like him, this is the second time they are terminated.

“Sabi nila unsafe ang building so buhay [ang] pinag-uusapan pero the mere fact na tinanggalan mo ng trabaho yung mga empleyado mo, buhay din [nila] ang hawak mo,” said Nestor Cabada, president of NUWHRAIN Philippine Plaza Chapter.

Nestor Cabada is the president of the NUWHRAIN Philippine Plaza Chapter president and has worked at Sofitel since it was established in 1976 as a minibar attendant. (Patrick Kyle Adeva/Philippine Collegian)

As an attempt to stave off criticism, Sofitel has boasted a P239 million separation package for all employees that management said exceeds what is required by law. However, the hotel’s workers stand firm with their demand: the retention of their livelihoods instead of a disingenuous measure to hasten the termination process.

Unions Unwelcome

NUWHRAIN believes that Sofitel’s closure merely disguises the hotel’s attempt at dissolving the worker union, claiming that it will only close temporarily for renovations. Its suspicion stems from the experiences of union members which contrast that of what Sofitel sells to the public and its employees.

Rommel Morales works both as a carpenter and artist, repairing furniture and creating wall paintings for the hotel. He was confused by the abrupt closure since the management only mentioned upcoming renovations in past meetings. In fact, the safety auditors contracted by PPHI merely recommended retrofitting to remedy the structural issues, and not to condemn the building, he said.

Rommel Morales works both as a carpenter and artist, repairing furniture and creating wall paintings for the hotel. (Patrick Kyle Adeva/Philippine Collegian)

It was only in 2023 that Sofitel renewed its lease contract on its land to allow a P4-billion renovation plan, including changing pipes and replacing elevators. A newly constructed seawall and beds were already procured last year to refurbish the premises, Salvador said. If Sofitel permanently closes, it still has to continuously pay the 17 years left on its contract to the Government Service Insurance System, which would compromise profits.

Sofitel’s continued operations for two months since its closure announcement has raised questions on the validity of its supposed structural concerns. If it is indeed unsafe, then the hotel’s top restaurant alone, Spiral, has endangered 2,100 customers that come to the establishment daily, according to numbers from NUHWHRAIN.

“Pag sinabing unsafe, ibig sabihin pa-condemn na itong building. Pag sinabi mong unsafe, dapat di na pinapasukan ng mga tao dahil hindi na nga mabuting puntahan,” Morales said.

Anti-worker behavior seems to be a standard for Accor, Sofitel’s operator, which has engaged in union-busting activities in the past. In 2023, two Accor-operated hotels in the US mandated anti-union meetings and intimidated employees after workers expressed their intent to organize.

NUWHRAIN claims that the terminations provide the management an opportunity to replace unionized workers with contractual laborers. Once Sofitel supposedly reopens, its guests will be served by a workforce paid minimum wage and hindered from organizing. 

No Reservations

Sofitel’s management portrays itself to the public as concerned with the lives and safety of its guests, but when it comes to its own employees, the luxury hotel neglects their livelihoods and security.

The union claims that if the hotel is to permanently close, then it should go through the legal processes to do so and negotiate with them. However, Sofitel has not completely crossed out the possibility of reopening since its future remains uncertain, said PPHI president Esteban Peña Sy in interviews with the media.

“Meron nga silang bagong posisyon na pag nagbukas daw, pwede raw na ang mga lumang empleyado ang kukunin nila at permanent kaagad. So bakit tatanggalin mo pa?” Cabada said.

NUWHRAIN has proposed a new collective bargaining agreement to continue their employment and benefits, but it has so far been ignored. The union has also reached out to the Department of Labor and Employment to raise Sofitel’s refusal to bargain and submitted a notice of strike to voice their concerns.

Labor groups stand in solidarity with Sofitel’s employees as they join pickets and candle-lighting protests in front of the resort hotel. (Patrick Kyle Adeva/Philippine Collegian)

With the termination date passing, employees continue to protest on the streets calling for the hotel to agree to their demands. Until Sofitel extends its brand of world-class hospitality to its workers, the union will stand defiant against a business that violates labor and union rights. ●