Workers of Sheraton Hotel Abuja have staged a peaceful protest within the hotel premises on Tuesday over nonpayment of severance package.
The workers, under the auspices of the National Union of Hotels, Personal Services Workers (NUHPSA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it would be unfair for the management to ask them to quit their jobs without paying them off.
Mr Leke Success, the General-Secretary of the Union said, “the protest is to ensure Marriott International pay the money that we jointly agreed to be paid as severance package in view of the new owner shutting down this place today.
“We just heard about a week ago that the new owner, NIPCO, who just acquired this place, decided that they will short it down and commence renovations.
“We tried to persuade them from shutting down based on the short notice, but that could not fly.
“So we sat down as a responsible union to negotiate severance pay for our members and the agreement stipulated that before the close of business on Oct.17, the money will be paid.
“But up until now, the management is still dilly-dallying and very soon they will lower the banner and shut this place.
“So we cannot risk that happening. It is because the money was not paid that we are here to protest peacefully that this money should be paid or we will not leave this place.
“Agreement is agreement, if the money is not paid, we will not leave. Each day that passes we will change our demands, after today we will demand for damages because they have breached the agreement.
“Our mission is to be paid our money, we have end of year bonus and hampers which members enjoy and the general manager just said they will not pay.
“The action is for both Marriott and the new owner who are here to wind up this place, to come out and tell us why our members should not be paid.’’
The unionists also demanded that some workers termed “casual staff’’ who were excluded by the management from the payment be treated equally as other staff.
“Whoever works here deserves to be paid because they are workers. No condition of employment will make them (casual workers) not to get their pay,’’ Success said.
The Capital Hotel Plc bought majority shares in Sheraton from the Federal Government over 30 years ago and engaged the services of Marriott International in the management of Sheraton.
Its new owners, NIPCO, which bought 51 per cent majority shares in Sheraton, had planned to shut down the hotel in order to carry out a holistic renovation and repositioning of the hotel.
