INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, June 17
Hotel Hyatt Regency announced today that it would temporarily cease operations and not accept any bookings until the
dispute with the trade union was sorted out
As services at the hotel were affected due to workers& protests that have been going on for the past five days, the hotel has decided to
stop operations for an indefinite period.
According to workers, the issue is not just about not receiving facilities, but also about
misbehaviour by the management
&We only asked the management to fulfil clauses mentioned in our agreement letter, but they have not bothered to address our concerns
Moreover, they started exploiting us,& said Mukti Dahal, president of the hotel trade union.
According to him, the high-level management
team is not letting workers take leave or a break during working hours.
Dahal said, &Our agreement mentions that we can take 90 days
compensatory leave annually, while we are getting only 78 days leave
Our sick leave has also been reduced to 30 days from 45 days per year.&
According to him, from 2004 to 2018, a total of Rs 179 million was
collected as tips, but only Rs 20 million has been distributed among the workers so far
Currently, there are around 400 workers employed in Hyatt Regency.
Dahal claimed that the hotel management was using workers as scapegoats
to avoid the controversy that it was embroiled in with the government
He said everything was okay till 2018, but in the beginning of 2019 the management changed the rules
&A controversy related to land and ownership of Taragaon Regency Hotel Ltd came to the fore in recent days
To digress from that issue, the hotel has been resorting to activities against workers,& he said.
On the other hand, Rani Bang, chief
financial controller of Taragaon Regency, said, &It is not true that the hotel has cut workers& facilities
They are painting themselves as victims and holding protests against the law
To meet the interest of a few workers, others are being victimised in this protest.&
She accused the trade union of threatening the hotel
management.
A notice published in the Nepal Gazette on April 22 warns against holding any protest or strike in tourism spots such as hotels,
motels, restaurants and resorts
&Going against this law, the authorised trade union of All Nepal Hotel, Casino and Restaurant Workers Association at the hotel has conducted
this protest,& Bang added.
As per the Human Resources Department of the hotel, on June 12 they had asked 15 workers of the Stewarding
Department to give a written clarification for being absent for many days
And from the very next day, workers started protesting against the management, which is illegal.
As the situation was getting worse, the
hotel management transferred their guests to other hotels
Currently, there are 280 rooms, including seven suites and 35 regency club rooms, in the hotel.
The room occupancy rate of Hyatt never goes
below 50 per cent even during the off-season
The HR department has also accused the trade union of threatening workers to dissuade them from going to work.
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