Dilip Kuner
MARBELLA’s glitzy Hotel Senator – a four-star holiday hotspot – is ‘shutting down’, leaving 90 workers fearing for their future.
The legendary Costa del Sol hotel will close its doors on October 31 after its current lease with Grupo Hoteles Playa comes to an end.
And staff were handed a nasty surprise – a letter announcing the start of a mass redundancy process (ERE).
Now workers say they’ve been left in limbo, unsure if they’ll keep their jobs when a new hotel chain takes over.
Union boss David Casado, head of the workers’ committee, slammed the move as ’a fraudulent ERE’ and is demanding that all employees be automatically transferred to the new management – which insiders say will be the Melia Group.
“Throwing us all out makes no sense,” said Casado. “The hotel isn’t closing forever. There’s legal precedent – the law says we should be kept on. If Melia’s taking over, great – we just want to keep working.”
The hotel’s owner, Seguros Santa Lucía, is reportedly planning renovations, while Grupo Hoteles Playa claims it’s simply stepping back due to the lease expiring.
But unions aren’t having it.
With Marbella booming – tourism profits are reportedly up more than 22% this year – union leaders say it’s outrageous to sack workers just because a new name’s going on the door.
“This is nothing but an attack on workers,” said Casado. “We’re in the best tourism year in history, and now they want to toss 90 people out? No way.”
Citing Article 44 of Spain’s Workers’ Statute and the Hospitality Agreement of Malaga, the union insists the hotel must legally transfer the staff to the new operator.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly backed this, they claim – meaning the owners and future management could be in for a legal battle.
The first showdown is set for October 9, when hotel bosses sit down for talks with unions. But angry staff aren’t waiting quietly – a mass protest is already planned outside the hotel, with more demonstrations to follow.
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