Employees, workers demand on-operation overhaul
The Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, operating under state-run Bangladesh Services Limited, has set September 1 as fresh timeframe for suspending its operation for a 16-month renovation project. The employees and workers of the hotel, however, have demanded that renovation to be carried out keeping the five-star hotel open. Earlier, BSL planned renovation to be started from May this year as part of a 30-year management deal with Intercontinental Hotels Group in February 2012, but postponed the decision due to the ICC World Twenty20 hosted by Bangladesh in March 16- April 6.
Ruposhi Bangla Hotel Sramik-O-Karmachari Union leaders said they would go for demonstration protesting at the shutdown decision as a 16-month closure would put their jobs at risk.
RBHSKU president Md Shafiuddin said the start of the renovation work had already been delayed two times and the project management company was yet to finalise the cost of the overhaul.
He said, ‘As the entire renovation project is not going very smooth and on schedule, it is hard to believe the work will be completed in 16-month timeframe. And when the operation at the hotel will remain closed, I am not confident that they will pay us,’ he said.
‘So we demand that renovation should be carried out keeping the hotel open.
The hotel had done its earlier renovations keeping it open,’ he said.
RB general manager James McDonald, however, said that all the permanent and contractual jobs would be retained by providing full salary and service charges.
‘The employees will have their undertaking [that no one would lose their jobs]. On the other hand, most of the permanent employees will be transferred to the RB’s subsidiary companies Bangabandhu International Conference Centre and Balaka Lounge,’ McDonald told reporters on Sunday at the hotel.
Of the 470 permanent workers of RB, 288 will be moved to BICC during the renovation, he said.
McDonald said that keeping the hotel open during renovation would be costly and time consuming.
‘Intercontinental agreed to come to Bangladesh at an assurance that the renovation will be done according to the IHG standard. And our panel of experts suggested that keeping the hotel closed during renovation will be cost-effective and speedy,’ he said.
McDonald said the cost of the hotel renovation was finalised at $43.17 million.
He said, ‘There can be 10 per cent cost deviation. RB is a profitable hotel and if the renovation is done now it will be secured for the next several years.’
‘A number of new international hotel chains will be coming to Dhaka in the next few years. So to face those challenges we need this renovation to be done and done quickly,’ he said.
BSL made Tk 19.15 crore in profit from RB in 2013. The figure was Tk 46.51 crore in 2012 and Tk 40.12 crore in 2011.
-With New Age input
