Sheraton Hotel Abuja workers protest non-payment of severance package

Staff of Sheraton Hotel Abuja yesterday embarked on a protest over the non-payment of their severance package following plans to close down the company.

The workers are demanding that the hotel managers, Marriot International, pay them their full benefits before proceeding to shut down the hotel for renovations.

The staff agitation followed an earlier notice by the management informing guests that the hotel would be temporarily closed down effective October 18, 2022.

The management had further stated that the facility which is currently in bad shape would remain closed in the course of the renovation with some essential services being maintained but added that no guests will be allowed during the period.

The protesters wielded placards with inscriptions such as “Marriott Pay Us What is Due to Us; Marriott Stop Manipulating the Workers; Enough of Exposure to Safety Hazards; Marriott Treat Us Like Human Beings; and We Are Not Animals,” among others.

The hotel union members launched the protest following Marriott’s alleged non-payment of their severance packages as agreed and for other issues bordering on safety standards as a result of the degraded state of the hotel.

It was understood that the appalling state of the hotel had given reason for the safety complaints that the union had asserted as posing danger to the employees, the hotel guests, and the general public.

This explained why the new owners have decided to temporarily shut down its operations to enable them to carry out renovations of the facility.

It was also understood that the new owners had communicated their decision to temporarily shut down the hotel.

However, the protest almost turned violent before the police were called in by management to ensure their actions does not lead to a breakdown in law and order.

Both the staff union and the hotel managers later went into a meeting to see how the severance pay and other labour issues involved would be addressed.

THISDAY gathered that during the meeting the managers assured the workers of the likelihood of reinstating about 70per cent of the employees especially those within core services.

Also, no specific date for reopening was announced given the massive rehabilitation works expected at the facility which would require huge capital investment.

Furthermore, the issue of safety remained at the core of the management’s decision to shut down the hotel.

But it was evident from the workers’ protest that the hotel managers had mismanaged the infrastructure in the facility over the years.

The development came in the wake of the acquisition of a majority stake in Capital Hotel Plc, owners of the hotel by 22 Hospitality Limited.

The company had earlier issued a statement through its spokesman, Alhaji Lawal Taofeek, who quoted the Group Executive Director of the company, Alhaji Aminu Abdulkadir, as saying that the new investors are desirous of restoring the hotel to its former glory of being the first-choice luxury hotel in Abuja.

According to Aminu, the strategic drive was also aimed at making the hotel carve out a niche for itself by becoming a leading hospitality firm offering premium services to customers in accordance with global standards.

Sheraton Hotel Abuja is currently managed by Starwood/Marriott under various system license agreements with Capital Hotel.

In the past, Starwood had acknowledged in various reports that the hotel was in a much-degraded state and would require hard renovations to make it brand compliant.

However, despite the hotel’s poor condition and non-compliance with its brand standards, the managers continued to manage the hotel which is currently in a dilapidated state.

Credit: Thisday