Myanmar: union-busting at Luxury Belmond hotel

There are currently two unionized hotels in Myanmar’s capital city Yangon. Management of the very upscale Belmond Governor’s Residence is seeking to cut that number in half by eliminating the union through harassment, dismissal and intimidation.

In addition to the Governor’s Residence, Belmond, formerly Orient Express Hotels, operates two luxury floating cruise ships on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, dozens of luxury hotels around the world (including the Venice Hotel Cipriani) and the London-Venice Orient Express. The union was established at the hotel before Oriental Express became Belmond in 2014. Shortly after the new company was incorporated, management began its anti-union campaign, demoting and docking the pay of experienced staff on the union committee and terminating another.

The Governor’s Residence is located in the former governor’s mansion of the British Crown Colony of Burma. The union is committed to fighting for the workers and their rights and has the full support of the IUF, which is actively working to build independent unions and support the working people of Myanmar in their struggle to overcome the legacy of military rule and repression.