A protest march by laidoff workers of the biggest garments factory at
the Cavite export processing zone pushed through today despite harassment by representatives
of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
Some 100 workers of Faremo International Inc. marched from their picketline
to the main gate of the Cavite ecozone but was told to stop by PEZA police and ecozone
security guards led by PEZA industrial relations department head Allan Datahan.
When the marchers proceeded with the protest, Datahan said to union president
Jessel Autida they will not be allowed back in to the ecozone.
“We decry the harassment by the local PEZA of our peaceful protest against
union busting and contractual work. The DOLE-PEZA-PNP guidelines of September
2011 explicitly protects the right to peaceful assembly and expression of
workers involved in labor disputes,” Autida insisted.
The Faremo workers were met at the Cavite ecozone main gate by scores of
supporters from community organizations and chapters of Partido Manggagawa (PM)
where they held a program. Tomorrow another mediation meeting
is scheduled by the DOLE-NCMB in Imus, Cavite to resolve the Faremo dispute.
“Faremo is shutting down to get rid of the union but will open again but
with endo workers. This is not the first and last time that this union busting
scheme was done by companies at the Cavite EPZA,” asserted Autida.
Autida cited the recent case of Seung Yuen Technology Industries Corp.
(SYTIC) which filed a notice of closure last April to force workers who had
formed a union to accept separation pay but which is presently still in operation
with agency employees. SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that supplies
to eletronics factories. [See DOLE-NCMB record at http://co.ncmb.ph/ncmb-region-iv-a-settles-dispute-at-seung-yeun-technology-industries-corp/?print=pdf]
Autida clarified that Faremo workers are not on strike and want to work
but have been locked out. He explained that they are maintaining a 24/7 picket
at the factory to protest the illegal closure and union busting, and to guard
against machines being taken out of Faremo. According to Autida, the union at
Faremo was formed last year in a bid by workers to improve pay, benefits and
working conditions and stop mistreatment like verbal abuse.
“Faremo has not presented any evidence to back its allegation that it
lacks orders from its customers and so has to shutdown. It is just feigning
lack of customers and financial losses. Thus we suspect that Faremo will reopen
using workers who are contractual and without a union,” averred Autida.
He added that “Faremo declared multimillion losses from 2011 to 2013
without ever shutting down. But just months after a collective bargaining
agreement with the union was concluded last May, it suddenly closes.”
“When Faremo first broached that they may shutdown temporarily and
layoff workers, the union responded by proposing that work be rotated so that
workers need not be retrenched. But such doable measures from the union fell on
management’s deaf ears. It replied with a hardline position—close the factory
and bust the union,” argued Autida.
The management of Faremo filed a notice for permanent closure in October
21. In response the labor union filed a union busting complaint. Faremo is a
subsidiary of the Korean textile multinational company Hansoll and supplies to
global garments brands. ###
Protests of the protest march can be accessed at:
November 7, 2016
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