THE Hotel and Personal Service Senior Staff Association, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), has commenced a picketing exercise at the Abuja Continental Hotel over alleged unfair labour practices and indecent working conditions, as well as issues surrounding the unionisation of its workers and freedom of association.
News Point Nigeria reports that the union’s action is also linked to what its officials described as the management’s refusal to engage with them despite repeated efforts to secure a meeting and resolve the issues surrounding the workers.
Speaking with our correspondents, the union said its efforts to meet with the management of the hotel had been rebuffed, leaving it with no option but to commence the picketing exercise.
As of the time of filing this report, the union was attempting to lock the gate of the hotel, but the police and some officials of the hotel were resisting the move.
The development has resulted in a tense situation at the hotel as the union members continued their protest over the alleged labour practices and working conditions.
However, the entrance to the Abuja Continental Hotel is currently blocked by the unions, disrupting access to the premises as the picketing exercise continues.
The union’s demands centre on alleged unfair labour practices, what it described as indecent working conditions, the right of workers to unionise and concerns over freedom of association.
Efforts to resolve the dispute through engagement with the hotel management are said to have failed, prompting the union to take the protest to the premises of the hotel.
The presence of police officers and hotel officials at the entrance has further heightened the situation, as they resisted the union’s attempt to lock the hotel gate.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no immediate response from the management of the Abuja Continental Hotel on the allegations raised by the union or the ongoing picketing exercise.
