The World Federation of Trade Unions, the oldest and most historic international trade union organization, on behalf of its 105 million workers in 130 countries of the five continents, expresses its support and solidarity to the workers of casino resorts and hotels in Manila who are struggling to ensure their jobs, their achievements and their trade union rights.
The international class-oriented trade union movement, condemns the dismissals of thousands of workers that have been announced by the Casino managements of City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila, D’ heights and other casinos resorts, and large hotels in the Philippines.
More precisely, until now Okada Manila retrenched 1600 workers, City of Dreams retrenched 400 workers, and D’ heights casino-resort retrenched 80% of its employees. In all cases, the management used pandemic as a lame excuse to trample workers. The managements deny recognizing the workers’ rights and their democratically elected representatives. There several trade union members and leaders among the dismissed workers. This is a strategic attempt of the companies’ managements to silence the workers, dissolve their trade unions.
Simultaneously, the companies trying to sign agreements with yellow unions that do not represent the workers and their interest such us the case of the yellow union that created by the Okada Manila management and has gained only 27 votes in the recent trade union elections.
We demand the protection and respect of elected trade union leaderships, the workers’ representativeness as it is expressed through their democratic trade union bodies. We defend the workers’ demands and rights such as the freedom of association, protest strike, etc. The World Federation of Trade Unions joins its voice with the working class of the Philippines demanding the withdrawal of all dismissals, full and unconditional respect of workers’ rights and achievements.
