30/09/2025
CROWNE PLAZA MANILA & Robinsons Land Corporation, RESPECT YOUR WORKERS' RIGHTS! Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
STOP YOUR DILATORY TACTICS AND UNION INTERFERENCE, RECOGNIZE OUR UNION, AND LET'S BEGIN OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS.
Our Union at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria is already formed and established. We were certified as the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent by the DOLE. Your local management must accept this reality. Our leaders and members stand firm in their commitment until we are recognized by the company and can achieve a "win-win" situation through good faith bargaining, leading to a Collective Bargaining Agreement that is beneficial to both our members and the company.
RLC and IHG have maintained a relationship with NUWHRAIN for nearly two decades. While not without occasional misunderstandings, it is undeniable that both parties have witnessed the successful coexistence of company interests and workers' rights, even in the presence of a union.
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Hotel Workers Hold Picket at DOLE Calling for Dismissal of Anti-Worker Appeal by Crowne Plaza Management, Amendment of D.O. 174 for Regularization and Job Security
In observance of World Tourism Day last September 27, hotel workers and allied organizations held a protest on Monday, September 29, at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), urging to dismiss Crowne Plaza Management’s appeal to challenge their workers’ declaration as the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent (SEBA) by DOLE. During the protest, the workers stressed that such an appeal from the hotel’s management is an attack against workers’ right to self-organization and collective bargaining.
At the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, workers voted to unionize under the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria Chapter of the National Union of Workers in Hotel Restaurant and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN–CPGMC). This mandate was affirmed by DOLE through its Mediator-Arbiter’s Order last July 15, 2025, declaring NUWHRAIN–CPGMC as the SEBA for all rank-and-file employees.
“Behind the polished service in the hotel industry is a fight for dignity,” said Marco Gojol, Deputy Secretary General of NUWHRAIN.
“Despite this mandate from DOLE, how can Robinsons Land Corporation, through its Management at Crowne Plaza, so openly disregard its employees’ right to self-organization and to collectively bargain?” questioned Gojol. “The contradiction is glaring. While they parade an image as one of the country’s top employers, Robinsons Land Corporation undermines the democratic choice of its workers at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria to unionize under NUWHRAIN–CPGMC.”
Instead of honoring DOLE’s mandate, the Management resorted to continuous delay and obstruction, challenging the SEBA Order and refusing to recognize the workers’ decision to unionize.
Gojol stressed, “These actions by Crowne Plaza Management are a clear violation of workers’ rights protected under the Labor Code, the Constitution, and ILO Conventions 87 and 98. It is a transparent maneuver to delay and evade the company's statutory duty to bargain collectively. Such tactics undermine the very purpose of the Labor Code and must not be countenanced by the office of the Secretary of Labor and Employment.”
NUWHRAIN, through its protest, urged DOLE to act with integrity and urgency by enforcing the SEBA Order, dismissing the Memorandum of Appeal filed by the By-Stander Employer, and expunging the appeal from the records for having been filed by a non-party and denied for utter lack of merit.
“Crowne Plaza Management must recognize the union, begin collective bargaining in good faith, and ensure industrial peace by aligning corporate practices with legal and social responsibility standards,” said Gojol.
The recent elevation of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Exercise of Freedom of Association and Civil Liberties into an Executive Order is a welcome step. It reaffirms that workers must be able to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in union activities free from interference, intimidation, or retaliation.
Gojol said, “Principles must be enforced—not just in policy, but in practice. The Crowne Plaza case is therefore a direct test of that commitment. DOLE must not allow the Crowne Plaza Management to delay, obstruct, nor undermine union recognition. It must protect union rights and ensure that the Executive Order is felt by workers on the ground.”
