Workers to spend Christmas at Laguna picketline

 

 

Workers of a glass factory in Laguna are spending their holidays on the picketlines as their labor dispute continues unresolved. Some 200 employees, about a dozen of whom are women, were terminated as Arcya Glass Corporation in Calamba, Laguna filed for permanent closure in November 16. However, the Arcya Glass Employees Union is accusing the company of union busting as the factory continues to operate with a reduced workforce.

 

“We believe that Arcya Glass is feigning closure as a way to bust the union and replace regular workers with contractual employees who will work for less wages and benefits. Despite the alleged closure, a skeletal force is working and trucks from Pedraja Trucking are ferrying bottles from the factory for delivery to Arcya’s customers,” stated Joseph Legada, president of the Arcya Glass Employees Union.

 

“The mass layoffs in Laguna and elsewhere are symptomatic of the pandemic of job loss that is happening without effective intervention by the government. This ties in with news reports that 4.5 million are unemployed this year and 2.2 million are also out of work but are not officially jobless only because they stopped looking for work. The restricted definition of unemployment limits it only to the jobless who are actively looking for work in the last six months,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

 

He added that “Moreover, we are seeing that capitalists are exploiting the covid-19 crisis to bust unions and shift to contract work. This is shown by the experience of the Arcya Glass Employees Union and the First Glory labor union in the Mactan ecozone.”

 

Last November 27 the garment firm First Glory Apparel in the Mactan ecozone fired 300 workers, including all the union officers. The union has a pending petition for certification election. A rally of terminated First Glory workers last November 30 was broken up by police and led to the arrest of five union officers and labor organizers. The so-called MEPZ 5 were later released as their cases for “disobedience to person in authority” were dismissed.

 

Arcya Glass put workers on one-month forced leave in March 15 as the covid lockdown started. The company then filed for temporary closure until October 15. Finally the company declared permanent closure on November 16. The Arcya Glass Employees Union has a pending case for unpaid benefits at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board and a complaint for illegal closure and union busting at the National Labor Relations Commission.

 

Magtubo insisted that “We demand that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello convene a dialogue with labor groups on the continued hemorrhage of jobs inside and outside of the ecozones. We also ask Secretary Bello to remind police that existing DOLE-PEZA-PNP rules on labor disputes prohibit security personnel from harassing workers’ concerted actions.”

 

Photos of the Arcya workers protest can be accessed at

https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/10158723479239323

https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/10158678405269323.

December 24, 2020

Labor dispute at Arcya Glass

Symptomatic of the epidemic of labor rights violations during the time of covid-19 is the ongoing labor dispute at Arcya Glass Corp. in Laguna. Employers are exploiting the covid-19 crisis to bust unions and shift to contract work as shown by the experience of the Arcya Glass Employees Union, and others like the First Glory labor union in the Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ).

 

Arcya Glass is a factory in an industrial estate in Calamba, Laguna. Some 200 employees, about a dozen of whom are women, were terminated after the firm filed for permanent closure in November 16. However workers are accusing the company of union busting as the factory continues to operate with a reduced workforce. Likewise the Arcya Glass Employees Union, the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for the workers, believes that the company is feigning closure as a way to replace regular workers with contractual employees who will work for less wages and benefits.

 

Arcya Glass union has set-up a picketline at the factory gates to protest the illegal closure and union busting. The workers are demanding the reopening of the factory, the reinstatement of the fired workers and the opening of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

 

Arcya Glass Corp. is a maker of bottles for local manufacturers like Nutriasia, CDO, Tita Ely, Emperador, Webenton Distillery, Commonwealth Foods, Global Foods, La Cometa, 90 Pacific, Malabon Soap and Guaran Foods.

Workers protest factory closure in Laguna

 

Workers of a glass factory in Laguna protested in front of the company gates last Wednesday. Some 200 employees, about a dozen of whom are women, were terminated as Arcya Glass Corporation in Calamba, Laguna filed for permanent closure in November 16. However, the Arcya Glass Employees Union is accusing the company of union busting as the factory continues to operate with a reduced workforce.

 

“We believe that Arcya Glass is feigning closure as a way to bust the union and replace regular workers with contractual employees who will work for less wages and benefits. In fact last Wednesday, three trucks from Pedraja Trucking came out of the factory and we think they carried bottles for delivery to Arcya’s customers,” stated Joseph Legada, president of the Arcya Glass Employees Union.

 

“The mass layoffs in Laguna and Cebu are symptomatic of the pandemic of job loss that is happening without effective intervention by the government. This ties in with news reports that 4.5 million are unemployed this year and 2.2 million are also out of work but are not officially jobless only because they stopped looking for work. The restricted definition of unemployment limits it only to the jobless who are actively looking for work in the last six months,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

 

He added that “Moreover, we are seeing that capitalists are exploiting the covid-19 crisis to bust unions and shift to contract work. This is shown by the experience of the Arcya Glass Employees Union and the First Glory labor union in the Mactan ecozone.”

 

Last Friday the garment firm First Glory Apparel in Cebu fired 300 workers, including the union president. The union has a pending petition for certification election. A rally of terminated First Glory workers last November 30 was broken up by police and led to the arrest of five union officers and labor organizers. The so-called MEPZ 5 were later released as their cases for “disobedience to person in authority” were dismissed.

 

Arcya Glass put workers on one-month forced leave in March 15 as the covid lockdown started. The company then filed for temporary closure until October 15. Finally the company declared permanent closure in November 16. The Arcya Glass Employees Union has a pending case for unpaid benefits at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board and a complaint for illegal closure and union busting at the National Labor Relations Commission.

 

Magtubo insisted that “We demand that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello convene a dialogue with labor groups on the continued hemorrhage of jobs inside and outside of the ecozones. We also ask Secretary Bello to remind police that existing DOLE-PEZA-PNP rules on labor disputes prohibit security personnel from harassing workers’ concerted actions.”

 

Photos of the Arcya workers protest can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/10158678405269323.

December 4, 2020

Mother of all layoffs at Cebu ecozone slammed as 4,000 fired

 

Labor groups Partido Manggagawa (PM) and the MEPZ Workers Alliance slammed the surprise mass layoff of an estimated 4,000 workers in the Sports City group of companies in the Mactan Economic Zone. The firing started yesterday but are continuing today. The groups also heard that there was tension in the factory gates this morning over the terminations happening.

 

“Some 4,000 breadwinners had the surprise of their covid lives when they were unceremoniously terminated without any clear criteria. This is the single largest layoff in the Mactan Ecozone since the 2009 economic crisis,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM chair.

 

The two groups are calling on the affected workers to fight for their jobs and oppose the impromptu termination. PM is providing legal assistance to laid off workers and already held an online consultation a few days ago. Meanwhile the MEPZ Workers Alliance is asking workers to raise their grievances and concerns at their Facebook page.

 

PM is also assisting workers in the ecozones of Cavite and Laguna who were terminated, loss their jobs due to temporary closures and have not been paid their wages. A glass factory in Calamba, Laguna shutdown indefinitely in the middle of the lockdown and threw some 200 workers out of work. In the First Cavite Industrial Estate (FCIE) in Dasmarinas, Cavite, a garments factory have not paid their workers their last salary and have put them on forced leave. Suspiciously, the company is already selling pieces of machines. Earlier, the Sejung garment factory also located in FCIE shutdown also without paying workers their salaries and benefits.

 

Magtubo stated that “We call for a timeout on retrenchments in the ecozones. We demand immediate action from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and the local government units.”

 

“Majority of those blindsided by the termination are women with families to feed but little prospect of finding new jobs in this pandemic economy. As per our monitoring, several hundred workers are being fired in each of the following factories: Vertex One, Mactan Apparel, Globalwear Manufacturing and Feeder Apparel,” explained Cherry Abadilla, spokesperson for the MEPZ Workers Alliance.

 

She added that the mass layoff at Sports City follows earlier terminations at Yuenthai and Kor Landa where 200 and 67 workers were affected. “There is a common modus operandi in all of these layoffs. They were surprise firings without prior notice. This is inhumane and disruptive of workers’ lives,” Abadilla insisted.

 

Scores of Yuenthai workers are refusing the separation offer of the company. In Kor Landa, the union filed a notice of strike which has triggered the preventive mediation proceedings of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board. Abadilla herself was terminated last July 10 along with Kor Landa workers, a French-owned manufacturer of jewelry.

September 5, 2020

Group calls for a timeout on mass layoffs at the ecozones of Cebu and Calabarzon

Some 200 workers of a garments factory at the Mactan Economic Zone went to work on Saturday only to be told that they are already jobless. A big majority of the fired workers were women and breadwinners. The labor organizations Partido Manggagawa (PM) and the MEPZ Workers Alliance slammed the impromptu mass layoff at Yuenthai Philippines Inc. as inhumane amidst the difficulties of life during the pandemic.

PM is also assisting workers in the ecozones of Cavite and Laguna who were terminated, loss their jobs due to temporary closures and have not been paid their wages. A glass factory in Calamba, Laguna shutdown indefinitely in the middle of the lockdown and threw some 200 workers out of work. In the First Cavite Industrial Estate (FCIE) in Dasmarinas, Cavite, a garments factory have not paid their workers their last salary and have put them on forced leave. Suspiciously, the company is already selling pieces of machines. Earlier, the Sejung garment factory also located in FCIE shutdown also without paying workers their salaries and benefits.

“We call for a timeout on retrenchments in the ecozones. We demand immediate action from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and the local government units. Nasaan ang ayuda?,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

Likewise Cherry Abadilla, spokesperson for the MEPZ Workers Alliance, insisted that “We cannot accept that workers are the first to sacrifice in a time of covid and recession when we are the last to benefit during the period of economic boom. Nasaan ang bayanihan?”

Abadilla herself was terminated last July 10 along with other 67 workers of Kor Landa Corp., a French-owned manufacturer of jewelry at the Mactan Ecozone. She is president of the Kor Landa workers union and they have filed a notice of strike since they allege that the mass layoff in their company is just a subterfuge for union busting. The DOLE has called the union and management to a preventive mediation to prevent a full-blown strike.

PM and the MEPZ Workers Alliance are supporting the Yuenthai workers in their fight. Many of the jobless workers are refusing to accept the company offer. “Workers needs jobs so they can earn their daily bread. Accepting the company’s offer of separation will just tide workers over for a few weeks. When it is consumed, how can workers and their families survive when there is no ayuda from government and no hiring from other factories?,” argued Abadilla.

The two group are calling on workers in the Mactan Ecozone to unite and fight for their jobs. “We have no one to depend on but ourselves, our unity and our struggle. Mag-bayanihan po tayo at lumaban para sa ating trabaho!,”Abadilla appealed.

September 1, 2020

DOLE asked to act on factory closures, forced leaves

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello to act with dispatch on other cases of factory closures and even forced leave of workers. The other day, it was announced by management that the Honda plant manufacturing cars in Laguna was to be closed down.

“Other than the 387 Honda workers in Laguna that will be laidoff as a result, Secretary Bello should also look into the thousands of workers who are also victims of forced leaves and factory closures in Cavite and Cebu,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

“The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) should prepare relief and assistance to the displaced workers together with an investigation into the causes of the forced leaves and factory closures, including compliance with labor laws,” Magtubo explained.

He added that “Under the radar, there are more cases of workers losing incomes.” PM said that the Sports City group of companies in the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) in Cebu that produce for global garments brands have been putting workers on forced leave due to reduced production.

The group also cited the declaration of electronics locators in MEZ that production is due to be affected by the ban on flights from China where parts and supplies come from. MEZ Deputy Administrator Atty. Rufino Ranulfo San Juan IV was quoted that at least one electronics company has said that it may close down if supplies from China do not arrive due to the impact of the CoVID-19 epidemic.

PM also cited the repeated temporary closure of a garments factory in Cavite which made 348 workers jobless since late last year. “DOLE should look into the Sejung Apparel Inc. firm which has closed down three times in October 2019, January 2020 and again this month. We believe this is intended to bust the union formed last year,” Magtubo insisted.

He furthered that “DOLE is also dragging its feet on releasing a compliance order on the dispute about Sejung management’s non-payment of 13^th month pay and the last salary of workers. The rule is crystal clear that the 13^th month pay should be given at most by December 24. Is the DOLE waiting for Holy Week before compelling a company to pay mandated Christmas benefits?”

February 24, 2020

Wage hike, reproductive health pushed in Calabarzon-wide motorcade

Press Release
March 14, 2010

The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) held today a massive motorcade of 97 motorcycles and 5 vehicles that traversed the Calabarzon region to push for wage hike and reproductive health among a host of working class demands. “We brought the message of a wage increase, reproductive health, affordable housing and regular jobs to the industrial heartland of the country where the concentration of the factory workers can now be found,” explained Ramil Cangayao, PM leader in Calabarzon.

The “Motorcade para sa Trabaho, Sahod, Pabahay at Kalusugan” started at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario at exactly 7:00 a.m. while at the same time a contingent left Malvar, Batangas. The combined motorcade then passed through the industrial towns of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Around 1:00 p.m. the motorcade made a stop at the covered court of Barangay 5, Tanauan, Batangas where an assembly of some 1,000 workers and urban poor discussed issues such as high prices, job contractualization, urban poor demolitions and free condoms. The motorcade ended in Carmona, Cavite.

At various stops such as in Pala-Pala, Dasmarinas in Cavite, Calamba Crossing in Laguna and Tanauan town proper in Batangas, PM women members distributed condoms in a symbolic gesture of support for the controversial reproductive health bill. “The candidates who say they are pro-poor and pro-women should make this motherhood slogan concrete by categorical support for reproductive health. The candidates especially the presidentiables should not fear the supposed clout and negative campaign of pro-life groups for they do not represent the sentiments and votes of the silent majority,” stated Nena Olvina, PM-Cavite leader.

Members of the Excellent Riders Club and the Cavite Professional Riders Club joined the motorcade as well as individual workers in their own motorcycles. The motorcycles and vehicles were festooned with flaglets, posters and paraphernalia in support of four basic working class demands. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat na Dapat” which means regular jobs, living wage, affordable housing and healthcare coverage for all.

Cangayao argued that “In a television interview early this week, the spokesperson of the Department of Labor pre-empted the wage boards by echoing the capitalist black propaganda that a wage increase will result in job losses. Our fearless forecast is that the wage boards will reject the wage petitions. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead.”

PM wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. “Any wage petition will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage boards,” Cangayao explained.

Labor party-list challenges presidentiables to make pro-RH stand

Press Release
March 13, 2010

The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) challenged the candidates in the elections, especially the presidentiables, to make a categorical stand in favor of reproductive health in view of the SWS survey showing voters’ support for pro-RH contenders. “We call on national to local candidates to make a stand for the RH bill and the Filipino voters will stand by you in the election. The candidates who say they are pro-poor and pro-women should make this motherhood slogan concrete by uncompromising support for reproductive health,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.

The demand for reproductive health and condom distribution will be part of the issues to be raised in a PM-sponsored massive motorcade of 100 motorcycles and vehicles that will traverse the Calabarzon region tomorrow. The “Motorcade para sa Trabaho, Sahod, Pabahay at Kalusugan” will start at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario at 7:00 a.m. then pass through the industrial towns of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. The motorcade will make a stop at the covered court of Barangay 5, Tanauan, Batangas where an assembly of some 1,000 workers and urban poor will discuss the issues of high prices, wage increase, affordable housing and reproductive health among others. The motorcade will end in Carmona, Cavite.

Miranda argued that “The candidates especially the presidentiables should not fear the supposed clout and negative campaign of pro-life groups for they do not represent the sentiments and votes of the silent majority. The government must provide the means for natural and artificial family planning that must go together with education on the use of contraceptives in relation to the spread of HIV-AIDS, spacing of children, unwanted pregnancies, and teenage pregnancies, among others”

PM has declared its uncompromising position on the issue of condom distribution and reproductive health. Last Monday, women members of the party-list group picketed the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines office in Intramuros, Manila and delivered baskets of condoms in a symbolic protest. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat na Dapat” which means regular jobs, living wage, affordable housing and healthcare coverage for all.

Miranda lambasted the presidentiable candidates for making vague statements or reversing their previous positions on the RH bill due to the pro-life lobby. “What leadership can we expect from these presidentiables if they cave in to the lobby of vested interests? We hope they recover some spine in the face of the clear mandate from voters in favor of the RH bill,” she insisted.

Labor party-list slams DOLE for no wage hike declaration

Press Release
March 10, 2010

The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its declaration that no wage hike is forthcoming on Labor Day. Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson argued that “The cat is out of the bag with the DOLE spokesperson’s statement on the wage hike petition. Not only did he explain that the hearings will still be ongoing by May 1 but he already pre-empted the wage boards of NCR and Central Visayas with the capitalist black propaganda that a wage increase will result in job losses.”

Meanwhile the PM-led mass actions calling for a wage hike will continue with a Calabarzon-wide motorcade on Sunday. The motorcade will start at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario town and then go to the industrial areas of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Motorcycle-riding workers will be at the forefront of the hundred-vehicle motorcade. “We will bring the message of a wage hike and the reform of the wage fixing system to the industrial heartland of the country where the concentration of the factory workers can now be found,” stated Magtubo.

In a rally at the DOLE last March 8, PM declared its support for the demand for a wage hike while calling for a reform of the wage fixing process. “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but nonetheless our fearless forecast is that it will be denied by the NCR wage board. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead,” Magtubo added.

"The wage boards must be abolished for being inutile. Its wage orders are always delayed, stingy and benefits merely a small section of workers because it is not across-the-board and riddled with exemptions, deferments and creditability clauses," declared Magtubo. The group insists that the wage hike must be legislated and across-the-board.

“Any wage petition will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage board. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage board,” Magtubo explained.

PM is pushing for the abolition of the wage boards that decide on wage hike for the different regions. Instead the party-list group wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living.