Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Nagkaisa Press Statement Bonifacio Day 2016
NAGKAISA
A better policy is possible
A win-win solution to endo
is unacceptable
The only
chance for Filipino workers to enjoy a life of dignity is to have secure and
good paying jobs. Contractualization is
spoiling this dream. And the government
is unacceptably prolonging the misery.
By raising the
bogey of massive job loss once the government accedes to workers’ demand for an
end to all forms of contractualization, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
was in effect forcing the workers to accept its win-win formula that allows,
rather than prohibit, the perpetuation of different forms of
contractualization.
The DTI
proposal is unacceptable on two grounds.
First, the end endo promise, the way it was presented by the President
during the election campaign, did not mean the end of one form of
contractualization and the legalization of another type. Second, legalizing sub-contracting and
outsourcing work arrangement is a ploy to shield employers from assuming their
inherent responsibility of providing direct and regular employment to their
workers. Regularization done in
contractor agencies rather than in mother companies is a fraud.
We don’t want
to assume that the DTI wish is the President’s command. But why is the
President’s command now marching towards a different direction?
Saan kami ngayon
kukuha ng kapal ng kumpyansa kung wala na sa mukha ng gubyerno ang
kaseryosohang ganap na itigil ang endo? Kung ang DTI at DOLE ay parehong win-win
na ang tono?
Analogous to
the time of Gat Andres Bonifacio, the epidemic of contractualization diminishes
the plight of Filipino workers to a life of colonial subjects unable to
exercise their freedom because none of their masters today would want to recognize
their sovereign existence as regular employees.
Hindi
pinangarap ni Gat Andres Bonifacio ang ganitong buhay para sa mga
Pilipino. Filipinos did not wage a
revolution against colonial exploitation only to be subjected to another form
of oppression.
Kung gayon ay
dapat mabatid: Kung ayaw tapusin ng gubyerno ang endo, hindi rin tatapusin ng
uring manggagawa ang kanyang rebolusyon.
November 30, 2016
Workers cry “End endo” and “Marcos Hindi Bayani” in Bonifacio Day rallies
Several
thousand workers marched in key cities today to commemorate Bonifacio Day, demand
a ban on contractualization and protest the hero’s burial of Marcos.
The
nationwide rallies led by the labor coalition Nagkaisa were billed as a
“National Day of Action Vs. Endo.” Partido Manggagawa (PM) together with other
labor groups rejected the so-called “win-win” solution on contractualization
and pushed for an “end endo” formula of prohibition of subcontracting of
regular jobs.
“The
misnamed win-win scheme proposed by employers, and promoted by the Trade and
Labor Departments will not end endo. It is a scam that will lead to the utter
proliferation of outsourcing and contracting out of regular jobs by the
principal employers,” explained Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.
Member
groups of Nagkaisa marched from Welcome Rotonda to Morayta where it held a
program. Militant workers then joined other groups for another rally around
noon at Mendiola to register labor’s condemnation of the surprise hero’s burial
for Marcos. Labor organizations later participated in the broad protest at the
People Power Monument called by the Coalition Against the Marcos Burial.
In Cebu
City, workers marched from downtown Colon to Plaza Independencia. Industrial
and sugar workers rallied at the Bacolod marker Araneta. In Davao City, workers
marched from the Freedom Park to the Bonifacio Monument.
To express
labor’s twin demands, PM highlighted the slogan “Ilibing ang kontraktwalisasyon
hindi ang kasalanan ni Marcos.” Magtubo averred that “Students have already made
their stand known. Today workers voiced out too their position on the burning
issues of our country.”
“A hero’s burial for the late dictator is
a stepping stone for the return to power of another Marcos. We can’t move on to
a future where the occupant of Malacanang is an unrepentant member of a family
that pillaged the public treasury and burdened generations with debt,” he
added.
Magtubo argued that “President Duterte
is accountable for this mockery of justice. He is in fact simply paying a debt,
probably not of gratitude. Duterte’s newfound respect for the letter of the law
in the case of Marcos’ burial contrasts with his utter disregard for due
process and human rights for most everything else, including the execution of a
bloody war on drugs.”
November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
“End endo” and “Marcos Hindi Bayani” top workers demands in big rally tomorrow
Several
thousand workers are marching in key cities tomorrow to commemorate Bonifacio
Day, demand a ban on contractualization and protest the hero’s burial of
Marcos. Meanwhile the militant Partido Manggagawa (PM) today slammed the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for a statement that foreign firms will
pull out if contractualization is banned.
“The DTI is
just parroting the usual capitalist blackmail when workers make demands that
dent their profit. Firms, foreign or local, want contractualization because it
is a way to cheapen labor costs by denying them job security and the
opportunity to unionize and bargain for better wages and benefits,” argued Rene
Magtubo, PM national chair.
The
nationwide Bonifacio Day rallies by the labor coalition Nagkaisa are billed as
a “National Day of Action Vs. Endo.” PM together with other labor groups are
rejecting the so-called “win-win” solution on contractualization and pushing
for “end endo” formula of prohibition of subcontracting of regular jobs.
“The
misnamed win-win scheme of the employers and DTI will not end endo. It is a scam
that will lead to the utter proliferation of outsourcing and contracting out of
regular jobs by the principal employers,” explained Magtubo.
Member
groups of Nagkaisa will assemble tomorrow 8:00 a.m. at the Welcome Rotonda and
then march to Morayta where it will hold a program. Militant workers will then
join advocacy groups for another rally around noon at Mendiola to register
labor’s condemnation of the surprise hero’s burial for Marcos.
To express
labor’s twin demands tomorrow, PM is highlighting the slogan “Ilibing ang
kontraktwalisasyon hindi ang kasalanan ni Marcos.” Magtubo averred that
“Students have already made their stand known. Tomorrow workers will voice out
their position on the burning issues of our country.”
PM and
Nagkaisa are also holding mobilizations in key cities tomorrow. In Cebu City,
workers will march from downtown Colon to Plaza Independencia. Industrial and
sugar workers are going to rally at the Bacolod marker Araneta. In Davao City
tomorrow, workers are marching from the Freedom Park to the Bonifacio Monument.
PM also expressed doubt on the announcement the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE) that 25,000 contractual workers have been made
regular. Instead PM revealed that the DOLE has not been able to enforce
regularization of workers in numerous instances. The militant group said that
there is a Japanese-owned electronics factory in the Cavite ecozone that has
refused to regularize hundreds of its agency workers despite an order from the
DOLE. It cited the case of the PALEA 600 who have not been reinstated by
Philippine Airlines as regular workers despite a settlement agreement that
provides for it. Finally PM also pointed out the case of 149 Pizza Hut
contractual workers who were retrenched when they sought regularization but
have been reinstated only as agency workers. “It seems that the news of 25,000
newly regularized workers is fake similar to posts in Mocha Uson's
controversial blog,” Magtubo said.
November 29, 2015
Monday, November 28, 2016
Advisory: "End endo," "Marcos Hindi Bayani" top Bonifacio Day workers demands
MEDIA ADVISORY
November 29, 2016
"End endo," "Marcos Hindi Bayani" top Bonifacio Day workers demands
Workers to hold nationwide rallies tomorrow to demand "end endo" and "Marcos Hindi Bayani"
Tomorrow, November 30, 2016
8:00 a.m. Assembly at Welcome Rotonda
9:00 a.m. March to Morayta
10:00 a.m Program at Morayta: End endo
11:00 a.m. March to Mendiola and Program: Marcos Hindi Bayani
The labor coalition Nagkaisa wil lead the Bonifacio Day commemoration at Manila with a big rally to oppose the "win-win" solution and push for the "end endo" formula that entails prohibiting all forms of contractualization, including outsourcing.
Around noon, militant labor organizations and other advocacy groups will troop to Mendiola to register the voice of the working class against the hero's burial of Marcos.
Similar rallies are to be held in other key cities:
Cebu City: 8:00 am March from downtown Colon to Plaza Independencia
Bacolod: 2:00 pm Rally at Bacolod marker Araneta
Davao City: 8:00 am March from Freedom Park to Bonifacio Monument
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Workers doubt DOLE claim of new regulars
The labor group
Partido Manggagawa (PM) expressed doubt on the announcement of the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE) that 25,000 contractuals have been regularized. DOLE
Secretary Silvestre Bello made the claim in a press conference in Malacanang.
“As much as
we welcome thousands upon thousands of endo workers becoming regular employees,
we are skeptical of DOLE’s claim because our own experience is that employers are
extremely resistant to regularization,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM national
chair.
Meanwhile PM,
together with other groups like the Philippine Airlines union PALEA and the
labor center SENTRO, today held a rally at the DOLE main office to push for an
“end endo” formula of regulation and prohibition of subcontracting of regular
jobs. The protest today is a buildup for the big nationwide mobilization by
workers on November 30 to highlight the call to stop all forms of
contractualization, including outsourcing.
Magtubo added
that “We know for a fact that the DOLE
has not been able to enforce regularization of workers in numerous instances. To
cite a few examples. One is a Japanese-owned electronics factory in the Cavite
ecozone that has refused to regularize hundreds of its agency workers despite
an order from the DOLE. Second is the PALEA 600 who have not been reinstated by
Philippine Airlines as regular workers despite a settlement agreement that
provides for it. Finally the case of 149 Pizza Hut contractual workers who were
retrenched when they sought regularization but have been reinstated only as
agency workers.”
“The contagion of contractualization is spreading instead of
being contained. In Toledo City in Cebu province, a large mining company is laying
off workers who will then be hired as contractuals in agencies to do the same
work. So we ask DOLE: Show us the 25,000 new regulars!,” Magtubo averred.
He quipped that “It seems that the news of 25,000 newly
regularized workers is fake similar to posts in Mocha Uson's controversial
blog,” he insisted.
Magtubo
also slammed Bello’s endorsement of the employers’ “win-win” formula on
contractualization. “The so-called win-win formula of the employers and now the
DOLE will not end endo. The ‘win-win’ scheme is a scam that will lead to the
utter proliferation of outsourcing and contracting out of regular jobs in the
principal employers. The Labor Secretary is turning his
back on the participants to the three Labor Summits convened by the DOLE in
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who resolved to end all forms of contractualization,” insisted Magtubo.
November 24, 2015
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
DOLE’s win-win will not end endo—labor group
The militant labor party Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed Labor
Secretary Silvestre Bello’s endorsement of the employers’ “win-win” formula on
contractualization. In a press conference yesterday, Bello claimed regularizing
workers in the agencies will deliver the administration’s promise to end
contractualization.
“The so-called win-win formula of the employers and now the DOLE
will not end endo. It is a blatant betrayal of the campaign promise of then-candidate
Rodrigo Duterte to eradicate contractualization. The ‘win-win’ scheme is a scam
that will lead to the utter proliferation of outsourcing and contracting out of
regular jobs in the principal employers,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM national
chair.
PM announced that they will hold a rally tomorrow at the DOLE main
office to protest Bello’s endorsement of the “win-win” scheme and to push for an
“end endo” formula of regulation and prohibition of subcontracting of regular
jobs. Also PM, the Nagkaisa labor coalition and workers groups are gearing for a
big mobilization on November 30 to highlight the call to stop all forms of
contractualization, including outsourcing.
The group also
expressed doubt on Bello’s statement that 25,000 contractual workers have been
made regular. Instead PM revealed that the DOLE has not been able to enforce
regularization of workers in numerous instances. The militant group said that there
is a Japanese-owned electronics factory in the Cavite ecozone that has refused
to regularize hundreds of its agency workers despite an order from the DOLE. It
cited the case of the PALEA 600 who have not been reinstated by Philippine
Airlines as regular workers despite a settlement agreement that provides for
it. Finally PM also pointed out the case of 149 Pizza Hut contractual workers
who were retrenched when they sought regularization but have been reinstated
only as agency workers.
Magtubo said “It seems that the news
of 25,000 newly regularized workers is fake similar to posts in Mocha Uson's
controversial blog.”
He insisted that Secretary Bello is revising the
promise of Pres. Duterte by arguing that the latter’s marching order is only to
end “illegal contractualization.” Magtubo also countered that the Bello his turning
back on the participants to the three Labor Summits convened by the DOLE in
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who resolved to end all forms of
contractualization.
November 23, 2016
Advisory: Workers protest today vs. DOLE's "win-win formula"
MEDIA ADVISORY
November 24, 2016
Workers to push "end endo" vs DOLE's "win-win formula"
WHAT: Workers to hold protest rally vs. "win-win" formula on endo announced by Sec. Bello
WHEN: Today, November 24, 2016, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: DOLE Intramuros
DETAILS: Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello announced the other day that Pres. Rodrigo Duterte's marching order is only to end "illegal contractualization" and thus the DOLE is conceding to the proposal from employers for a "win-win" solution of merely regularizing workers in the agencies not the principal employers.
Labor groups however are opposing the "win-win" solution and pushing for the "end endo" formula that entails prohibiting all forms of contractualization, including outsourcing. Participants to the three Labor Summits convened by the DOLE in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao all resolved to end all forms of contractualization.
Aside from the rally today, the November 30 mobilization of workers will highlight the call "end contractualization."
PM also expressed doubt on the DOLE's statement that 25,000 contractual workers have been made regular. The group said that they know of an electronics factory in the Cavite ecozone that has refused to regularize its agency workers despite an order from the DOLE. PM also cited the case of Pizza Hut contractual workers who were retrenched when they sought regularization but have been reinstated only as agency workers. Finally the militant group cited the case of the PALEA 600 who have not been reinstated as regular workers despite a settlement agreement that provides for it. PM calls the 25,000 newly regularized workers fake news similar to Mocha Uson's controversial blog.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Workers condemn secret burial for a secret hero created by a secret deal
There was a secret deal to make this travesty happen. The Supreme Court decision simply rendered this political deal a legal character.
Today’s secret burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) is a done deal. It was a shared triumph resulting from a highly coordinated action between the Marcos family and the Duterte government.
We condemn this act as a mockery of justice and an affront to the principles civility. Why bury a ‘hero’, their ‘honorable’ leader, sneakily away from national curiosity? Hence, it rather looks like a burial for a high level terrorist rather than one with state honors.
The secret burial did not only deny the victims of martial law the chance to reverse the verdict against their tormentor. It also reduced the peoples’ genuine quest for justice a trivial chasing game of chance under the present administration.
PM & iDefend to hold protest 5:00 pm today at Boy Scout Rotunda, Timog
November 18, 2016
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Workers to Sec. Bello: Is DOLE really ending endo?
Restless over the likelihood of getting a watered down rules governing the conduct of contractualization, members of Palea, Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Church-Labor Conference (CLC) held another rally Wednesday at the DOLE offices in Intramuros Manila. The action is part of Nagkaisa labor coalition’s week-long protest to demand an end to all forms of contractualization.
The rally coincides with the holding of another mediation conference between PAL and PALEA on the long-delayed implementation of the flag carrier’s commitment to re-employ Palea members under the 2013 Settlement Agreement. Said agreement ended the labor dispute over the massive outsourcing program unleashed by PAL in 2011.
Also on Thursday, the last leg of regional labor summits will be concluded in Cebu and after which, a new Department Order on endo is expected to be issued by DOLE.
Partido Manggagawa Chair, Renato Magtubo, said consultations were already conducted where diametrically opposed positions between labor and capital were laid down. “Now is the time for the government to take side. Kaninong panig ba ang mas papaboran ng gubyerno? Ang end endo para sa manggagawa o ang win-win solution para sa kapitalista?”
According to Magtubo, a Department Order that deviates from the Labor Summit’s position on endo is unacceptable. “The President has even threatened to kill endo lords. How can a new DO go softer than the President’s order of licking the plague of endo?”
Workers are apprehensive of DOLE’s likely preference for win-win solution due to the strong lobby of business groups, including the service providers/contractors who made big bucks under the previous regime of legalized contractualization and outsourcing.
“DOLE has a very bad record in regulating endo, hence, a stricter rule for prohibition is the best option to pursue,” said Magtubo.
On his part Palea President, Gerry Rivera, said a decisive and conclusive government push for the implementation of PAL-PALEA Settlement Agreement on endo can serve as preview to the resoluteness of the administration’s anti-endo campaign.
“Limang taon na kaming nasa labas gayung kami ay dapat regular na empleyado ng PAL hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Hangad din namin ay hustisya dahil daig pa namin ang natokhang,” lamented Rivera.
Other than PALEA, there were also cases pending before DOLE that need immediate resolutions, especially those which are related to endo.
November 16, 2016
Advisory: Workers protest at DOLE today as buildup to national day of action vs endo:
Media Advisory
Contact: Rene Magtubo (PM Chair) 09178532905
Today, Nov. 16 (Wednesday), 10:00 am: Labor groups to rally at DOLE Intramuros
Workers are set to escalate protests as they call for an end to endo o contractualization. The DOLE is set to release by the end of the year a new order to regulate the practice of contractualization and labor groups are calling on the agency to prohibit contractualization of regular jobs, including outsourcing. The protests this week are a buildup to a national day of action later this month.
The rally today at the main office of the DOLE will include groups Partido Manggagawa, Church-Labor Coalition and PALEA.
A national day of action to end endo is set later this month.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Advisory: Workers protest vs. endo: At NCMB Cavite today, DOLE Intramuros tom
Media Advisory
Contact:
Dennis Sequena (PM Cavite) 09301803072
Rene Magtubo (PM Chair) 09178532905
Today, Nov. 15 (Tuesday), 2:00 pm:
Cavite workers to rally at NCMB Imus
Tomorrow, Nov. 16 (Wednesday), 10:00 am: Labor groups to rally at DOLE Intramuros
Nov. 18 (Friday): Labor summit in Cebu City
Workers are set to escalate protests as they call for an end to endo o contractualization. The DOLE is set to release by the end of the year a new order to regulate the practice of contractualization and labor groups are calling on the agency to prohibit contractualization of regular jobs, including outsourcing. The protests this week are a buildup to a national day of action later this month.
The protest today will be led by workers of the Faremo International Inc., the biggest garments company in the Cavite ecozone. Faremo workers are accusing management of union busting and planning to replace regular workers with contractual employees when the factory reopens.
The rally tomorrow at the main office of the DOLE will include groups Partido Manggagawa, Church-Labor Coalition and PALEA.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Gap does not confirm claim of lack of orders for Faremo’s closure
In Gap’s
response regarding the labor dispute over the permanent closure of its supplier
factory Faremo International Inc., it cites that the mother company Hansoll
made such a “business decision” due to its “global business strategy.” This is
in glaring contradiction to the allegation of Faremo management that it shutdown
due to lack of orders from its buyers, among them Gap.
The legality of Faremo's closure is contingent on the veracity of its
claim that it lacks orders from Gap, among others. In its notice of
closure, in the mediation hearings, and in its meetings with the union, and
even in Faremo general manager's letter to PM--they all say that Faremo lacks
orders.
Now Hansoll says Faremo's closure is part of "global business
strategy." This is in conflict with this claim of lack of orders. Gap is
silent on the claim that they don't have any more orders from Faremo or
Hansoll.
This lends credence to the assertion of the Faremo labor union that there
are orders and yet Hansoll closed Faremo in order to bust the one-year old union
and destroy the collective bargaining agreement concluded five months ago.
The Faremo labor union calls on Gap to remediate the violations of its
supplier Faremo according to the provisions of its code of conduct. The
complaints of the Faremo labor union of union busting and blacklisting of
unionists are in breach of Gap’s commitment to respect freedom of association
and non-discrimination.
Further the Faremo labor union wishes to inform Gap that the Faremo
management had already notified its workers it will not pay their wages from
Oct. 27 to Nov. 21 because of the “no work, no pay” principle even though it
filed a notice of permanent closure only on Oct. 21 and thus is obligated to
pay workers up to Nov. 21 based on the 30-day notice rule.
Finally, the Faremo labor union seeks to notify Gap that Faremo
continues to operate to this day as admitted by management in the latest
mediation hearing of Nov. 8. Although most workers were locked out on Oct. 26, scores of
workers are still entering the factory to work. Faremo declared in the
mediation that all work will cease only on Nov. 12.
November 10, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Workers call on PEZA to suspend Cavite officer
The militant Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the
newly appointed head of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Charito
Plaza to suspend its Industrial Relations Department chief Allan Datahan for
harassing workers who held a protest march yesterday. PM has learned that the
PEZA Board is having a meeting today.
“We call on PEZA Director General Plaza to suspend Datahan
for violating the terms of the DOLE-PNP-PEZA guidelines of September 2011 which
protects the right of workers’ to freedom of assembly and expression during
labor disputes,” asserted Dennis Sequena, coordinator of PM’s Cavite chapter.
The group averred that yesterday 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 Datahan. When the marchers proceeded
with the protest against union busting and contractual work, Datahan said to Faremo
union president Jessel Autida they will not be allowed back in to the ecozone. After
the protest, Faremo workers who tried to enter the Cavite ecozone were barred
by guards at the gates.
Faremo is biggest garments factory at the Cavite
ecozone that shutdown last October 27 allegedly due to lack of orders. “Management
however has not shown any piece of paper to support its claim of lack of
orders. Instead we believe that Faremo’s closure is a ruse to bust the union
and replace regular workers with contractual employees,” Autida argued.
Sequena stated that “Datahan has a track record of violating
workers’ rights. Earlier this year, in a labor dispute at the Seung Yeun
Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC), an electronics subcon at the Cavite ecozone,
he interrogated a worker for her union activities. Later in a dialogue with
SYTIC workers, he refused their request for a counsel, threatened them with
cases for trespassing and negotiated with them as if he was a representative of
management.”
He added “Further, SYTIC exposes the modus operandi
of union busting via illegal closure that Datahan has mastered. SYTIC filed a notice of closure last April to force workers who had
formed a union to accept separation pay. Yet the SYTIC factory is still operating
today but under a new name and with agency employees.”
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 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.
“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,” Autida said.
November 8, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
Laidoff workers march at Cavite harassed by PEZA
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
Friday, November 4, 2016
Advisory:Workers to march at Cavite EPZA today
MEDIA ADVISORY
November 7, 2016
Workers to march at Cavite EPZA today
WHAT: Protest march by labor groups and workers of Faremo International, a Cavite EPZA garments factory that shutdown and laidoff 1,000 workers
WHEN: Today, Monday, November 7, 2016, 8:00 am
WHERE: Main gate (Gate 1) of the Cavite ecozone, Rosario town
DETAILS: Community groups will hold today a solidarity rally outside the main gate of the Cavite Economic Zone (EPZA). They will be joined by workers of the garments factory Faremo International Inc. who will march from the Cavite EPZA.
The workers are demanding the reopening of Faremo as they assert that the closure is just a union busting manuever and a scheme to replace regular workers with contractual or endo employees. The workers have asked management to present proof of lack of orders but Faremo has not presented any.
The Faremo workers have been on picketline for the second week. Some 1,000 workers were laidoff last October 27 as the factory shutdown and have been locked out.
Another mediation meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, November 8, to resolve the dispute surrounding the closure of the biggest garments factory at Cavite EPZA.
The union is alleging that the closure is illegal since it is meant to bust the union and destroy the CBA. Early last month, management filed for temporary closure and the union proposed work rotation to preserve jobs and prevents layoffs. Management ignored the proposal and responded with the permanent closure.
Faremo is owned by the Korean textile multinational Hansoll and supplies to global garments brands. A union was formed by workers at Faremo last year in a bid to redress grievances such a low pay, verbal abuse and lack of benefits. A collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was concluded just last May. ###
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Workers to Donald Dee: Is ECOP an organization of madmen?
“In today's business environment, there is no such thing as permanent employment. If they push that, no madman would do business here.”
For expressing this view, a worker’s group has turned the table against Donald Dee, the head of Employers' Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), who also has threatened to bring the government to court once it forces companies to make their employees regular or permanent.
“ECOP is in business and when Donald Dee said no madman would do business here without endo, it also goes to show that ECOP is, in essence, an organization of madmen. If that is so, the more the need for the government to take the side of labor,” countered Partido Manggagawa (PM) Chair Renato Magtubo.
According to Magtubo: “Endo or contractualization in its many form is an epidemic that must be purged to save the present and future generation of workers from sinking deeper into the gulf of terminal marginality.”
As to Dee’s threat to bring the government to court, Magtubo said: “ECOP should not make the courts its battlefield on endo. It’s a policy issue. You shouldn’t bother the court to resolve the issue on whether workers have the right to live a life of dignity over the right of capital to a fair return.”
Labor and business are at loggerheads over this issue as the government of President Duterte made it a pledge to end the pervasive practice of endo in the workplace. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is soon to come out with a new Order in place of the much criticized DO 18-A that regulates contracting and third party sub-contracting practices.
PM likewise noted that pending bills in the House and in the Senate are more for regulation of allowable contracting rather than on prohibition.
Echoing the resounding and unanimous position of the October 17 Labor Summit, Partido Manggagawa under the Nagkaisa labor coalition, is for total prohibition of all forms of contractualization and fixed-term employment.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), however, is more inclined with the business proposal for a “win-win solution” which prescribes regularization done by third party service providers (manpower agencies and cooperatives) and not by principal companies -- a prescription vehemently opposed by labor.
PM is urging DOLE and Congress to principally consider the weight of the position taken by the Labor Summit.
“A good policy may also mean an end of contract with madmen,” concludes Magtubo.
November 3, 2016
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