Sunday, September 30, 2018

Media Advisory: Cigarette workers strike enters third day, DOLE calls for mediation tom


Media Advisory
September 30, 2018
Partido Manggagawa
Contact Rey Almendras @ 09430776045
Rene Magtubo @ 09178532905

Cigarette workers strike enters third day, mediation called by DOLE tom

The strike at the Marikina factory of the leading cigarette firm Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco entered its third day today. Workers have set up picketlines around the plants C and D in Parang, Marikina.

The union has slammed management for attempting to bring in scabs to operate the factory. The union also called on the police to respect the 50 meter rule as mobile patrol cars were loitering near the strike area since workers walked off the job last Friday night.

The Department of Labor and Employment-National Conciliation Mediation Board is convening another mediation meeting on Monday 2:00 pm at Intramuros.

Workers unrest is rising with a series of labor strikes in recent months and the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco strike is the biggest to date.

Photos of the strike can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/


Saturday, September 29, 2018

Strike paralyzes leading cigarette firm



Production at the leading cigarette firm in the country is paralyzed as a strike started last night. Several weeks of mediation called by the Department of Labor and Employment failed to produce a settlement as the management of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC) refused the demand of the union for the reinstatement of retrenched workers. Workers at the giant Marikina factory walked off the job around 6:00 pm last night, marched around the factory and started building a picketline.

“If the company wants to resume operations then management must reinstate the workers terminated due to the sudden closure of the Vigan redrying plant and the mass layoff at the Marikina factory,” stated Rey Almendras, union president of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU).

The labor dispute at the leading cigarette manufacturer is part of a rising wave of workers unrest. Scores of notices of strike have been filed and strikes are erupting in various companies.

“The Constitution mandates that workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production. But at PMFTC, retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting key performance indicators,” argued Almendras.

Last month the Lucio Tan Group announced a P3.63 billion total income for the first quarter of this year. Some P2.35B or 65% of the total income of the Lucio Tan Group came from its tobacco business.

PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories. Moreover, the Vigan plant is now being operated by a new entity but with contractual workers.

“Management has been absolutely opaque behind the misnamed right-sizing plan. When management first discussed the plan before the union, they withheld the names of workers affected, they did not disclose how the termination process will proceed and finally they did not give any solid basis for the closure and redundancy. And then just hours after the meeting with the union, management unveiled its surprise gift to unsuspecting workers who were cajoled into signing separation without the presence of union officers who barred from entering the factory,” Almendras elaborated. ###

Photos of the strike can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/


29 September 2018

Strike paralyzes leading cigarette firm

MEDIA ADVISORY
29 September 2018
Partido Manggagawa

Request for coverage

LABOR STRIKE AT PHILIP MORRIS FORTUNE TOBACCO MARIKINA PLANT started last night and is ongoing

Welga ito laban sa walang tigil na tanggalan at unfair labor practices na ipinatutupad ng kompanya.

For more info pls contact Reigh Almendras, PMFTCLU President @ ‭+63 943 077 6045‬
Ka Rene Magtubo, PM chairman @ 09178532905

Friday, September 21, 2018

Workers slam dictatorship threat in martial law anniv protest



Several thousand workers joined the United People’s Action in Luneta today to slam the repression of labor and human rights, and the threat of dictatorship. “Workers already experienced the repression and horrors of dictatorship under Marcos and will not allow a new one to be installed,” averred Rene Magtubo, chairperson of Partido Manggagawa (PM).

PM participated in today’s protest as part of the contingents of Manggagawa Ayaw sa Diktadura and Kalipunan ng mga Kilusang Masa. Manggagawa Ayaw sa Diktadura is comprised of labor and church organizations. Meanwhile Kalipunan was formed by mass organizations of workers, farmers, urban poor, women and youth to confront the looming threat of authoritarianism.

“Workers are here to make our stand not just against the threat of dictatorship but to resist the reality of suppression of labor and human rights. Instead of heeding the demands of the people and implementing his promises, Duterte is all hands on deck in persecuting his political rivals, killing the poor in the bloody war on drugs and demolishing respect for human rights,” insisted Magtubo.

He added that “The persistence of contractualization is a human rights violation. It is a repression of workers’ right to security of tenure. The collapse of workers’ purchasing power due to runaway inflation is a human rights violation. It is a suppression of workers’ right to a living wage and decent life. Ending endo and abolishing regional wages was a promise of Duterte. But two years have gone by and nothing except killings and persecution left and right.”

“Workers were among the first victims of martial law in 1972. Today, workers are again suffering under an increasingly authoritarian rule. We vow to fight and resist,” Magtubo ended.

September 21, 2018

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Partido Manggagawa slams Duterte’s tete-a-tete as propaganda



The Duterte-Panelo “talk show” yesterday at MalacaƱan Palace did not address what workers and the poor desire to hear from the President: tangible solutions to the rising prices of rice and other basic commodities that have impacted negatively on income and the cost of living.

Worse, the President blamed workers strikes for lack of foreign investors. It is such a lame excuse. Investors invest in a country primarily because of profitability and political stability. Moreover, a strike—though a guaranteed workers’ right under the Constitution—is highly regulated by the government. Thus it will not be a major factor to affect the country’s stability and employers’ profitability. In most cases, a strike occurs because of employers’ unfair labor practices and the deprivation of workers’ just share in the fruits of their labor.

The “talk show” was primarily designed to strike back against Trillanes— laying the ground for the government to make the arrest after the Supreme Court referred the latter’s case to the Makati regional trial court. The address was not about arresting problems brought about by runaway inflation.

Moreover, the “talk show” tried to sow fear in the public’s mind based on an imagined destabilization plot against his government. The President by “selling hard” his theory of destabilization plot has exposed his real aim of “an authoritarian rule” in order to effectively govern the country.

We rate the “talk show” as “SPG”: striktong propaganda ng gobyerno. Indeed, as many media practitioners lament: an interview done to a government official by another government official is pure propaganda.

12 September 2018

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Advisory: Noise barrage tom by workers and poor vs inflation

Cigarette firm on brink of strike as workers march in Marikina today



The leading cigarette firm in the country is on the brink of a strike as the mandated seven-day notification period is about to lapse. This afternoon a big march of workers and their supporters will proceed from the Marikina factory to the Concepcion Church to advocate their cause to city residents and to build up support for the strike.

The Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) submitted last Saturday the results of the strike vote to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Some 73% of workers in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Marikina City voted to strike.

“It is not too late for the company to resolve the dispute. We call on management to heed the workers’ demand for the reinstatement of 184 workers terminated as a result of the sudden closure of the Vigan redrying plant and the mass layoff at the Marikina factory,” stated Rey Almendras, union president of PMFTCLU-NAFLU.

The countdown to the strike began last Tuesday with workers holding a picket while DOLE convened another mediation hearing that ended without any resolution. There were protests at the Marikina factory every change of shift yesterday.

The labor dispute at the leading cigarette manufacturer is part of a rising wave of workers unrest. Scores of notices of strike have been filed and strikes are erupting in various companies. Last week employees of the big Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda Healthcare Philippines in Rockwell, Makati went on strike over a deadlock in collective bargaining negotiations.

“The Constitution mandates that workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production. But at PMFTC, retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting key performance indicators,” argued Almendras.

Last month the Lucio Tan Group announced a P3.63 billion total income for the first quarter of this year. Some P2.35B or 65% of the total income of the Lucio Tan Group came from its tobacco business.

The PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories.

“PMFTC management has been absolutely opaque behind the misnamed right-sizing plan. When management first discussed the plan before the union, they withheld the names of workers affected, they did not disclose how the termination process will proceed and finally they did not give any solid basis for the closure and redundancy. And then just hours after the meeting with the union, management unveiled its surprise gift to unsuspecting workers who were cajoled into signing separation without the presence of union officers who barred from entering the factory,” Almendras elaborated. ###

Photos of the protests can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/

September 6, 2018

Workers more concerned with lost buying power than the missing files of Sen. Trillanes



The Partido Manggagawa (PM) has accused President Duterte of wasting his time and power in  neutralizing his political opponents rather than in arresting the deluge of high prices, saying that at the moment workers are more concerned with their lost purchasing power than the missing amnesty files of Sen. Trillanes.

“Ang problema ng manggagawa ngayon ay ang nagtataasang presyo at bumabagal na ekonomiya hindi ang rebelyon ni Trillanes noon laban kay Gloria,” lamented PM chair Renato Magtubo.

Trillanes, a fierce critic of President Duterte, is contesting the latter’s attempt to lock him up by revoking the amnesty privilege granted to him by President Benigno Aquino III in 2010.  Duterte revoked Trillanes’ amnesty because his application form is reportedly missing from DND records.

“This move is easier to figure out now as the void ab initio principle applied to Trillanes is preceded by the quo warranto approach employed against CJ Sereno. This revocation can be as stealthy as quo warranto but for whose gain? A fascist’s appetite for absolute power is not the same with the workers’ desire for economic relief,” said Magtubo.

The group complained that while workers are losing their buying power due to runaway inflation, the President remains preoccupied with consolidating power and the persecution of his political adversaries.

“You cannot stop Sen. Trillanes and other critics from speaking their minds on many issues especially now that economic problems are weighing down the poor. What you can surely prevent is the worsening of inflation by stopping your TRAIN and repressing market manipulation by unscrupulous traders and businessmen. But where are you on this issue, Mr. President?” asked Magtubo.

Inflation hits a national average of 6.4% last month, the highest since 2009. NCR posted a higher rate at 7% while ARMM had 8.1%.

“Ang hinahanap dapat ng Pangulo ay ang solusyon sa problemang ito hindi ang nawawalang file ng kalabang senador,” concluded Magtubo.

6 September 2018

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Women workers welcome EML's passage in the House



The Partido Manggagawa (PM) welcomes the passage of HB 4113 or the Expanded Maternity bill that entitles working women to a 100-day paid maternity leave.

The House version is 20 days shorter than the 120-day provision passed by the Senate last year. Thus women groups are still hopeful that the small gap can still be worked out in the bicameral conference committee.

"We commend the sponsors of the bill for the hard work spent in ensuring that this bill reaches this stage. And of course to the chairperson of the women committee, Rep. Bernadette Herrera (PL BH), for steering this measure into its final enactment," said PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

Miranda said the HOR version is just above the 98-day maternity leave recommended by the International Labor Organization (ILO) but far lower than the levels in ASEAN.

She added that "We know it can still be worked out in the bicam level. The longer the maternity leave, the better for mothers, their children, and their family members.”

Miranda noted that LPGMA partylist Rep. Arnel Ty tried to derail the passage of the EML during the debates by taking the position of employers who are all opposed to the bill.

"We were aware of Rep. Ty's position as he truly represented the interests of business in Congress. It is this kind of representation that defined his opposition to EML. He, of course, cannot stand as a businessman and a worker at the same time. This measure is for workers, especially women," concluded Miranda.

4 September 2018

Countdown to strike at cigarette firm begins with protest at DOLE today



The countdown to the looming strike at the leading cigarette firm in the country begins today with workers holding a picket while the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) convenes another mediation hearing. Protests at the Marikina factory of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. are scheduled every change of shift tomorrow. On Thursday afternoon, workers will march from the factory to the Concepcion, Marikina church to advocate their cause to city residents.

The company is on the brink of a strike as a large majority of members of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) voted yes in strike balloting. In a vote conducted last Friday at Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Marikina City, 73% of union members authorized a strike. According to the rules, an actual strike can be launched seven days after the vote was submitted to the DOLE last Saturday.

“It is not too late for the company to resolve the dispute. We call on management to heed the workers’ demand for the reinstatement of 184 workers terminated as a result of the sudden closure of the Vigan redrying plant and the mass layoff at the Marikina factory,” stated Rey Almendras, union president of PMFTCLU-NAFLU.

The labor dispute at the leading cigarette manufacturer is part of a rising wave of workers unrest. Scores of notices of strike have been filed and strikes are erupting in various companies. Last week employees of the big Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda Healthcare Philippines in Rockwell, Makati went on strike over a deadlock in collective bargaining negotiations.

“The Constitution mandates that workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production. But at PMFTC, retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting key performance indicators,” argued Almendras.

This month the Lucio Tan Group announced a P3.63 billion total income for the first quarter of this year. Some P2.35B or 65% of the total income of the Lucio Tan Group came from its tobacco business.

The PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories.

“Management told the union that the Vigan plant will be closed and sold to another entity. No other details were given. This raises the suspicion that this is another outsourcing program similar to the contractualization scheme at Philippine Airlines,” declared Gerry Rivera, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA-TUCP) and head of the newly formed Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa. Both PALEA and PMFTCLU are members of the Kapatiran.

He declared that “We express support for the fight of PMFTCLU for job security and against union busting. Ang laban ng isa ay laban ng lahat.”

“PMFTC management has been absolutely opaque behind the misnamed right-sizing plan. When management first discussed the plan before the union, they withheld the names of workers affected, they did not disclose how the termination process will proceed and finally they did not give any solid basis for the closure and redundancy. And then just hours after the meeting with the union, management unveiled its surprise gift to unsuspecting workers who were cajoled into signing separation without the presence of union officers who barred from entering the factory,” Almendras elaborated.

Photos of the protests can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/

4 September 2018

Monday, September 3, 2018

Advisory: Countdown to strike at cigarette firm begins with protest at DOLE today

Media Advisory
September 4, 2018
Partido Manggagawa
Contact Rene Magtubo @ 09178532905

Advisory: Countdown to strike at cigarette firm begins with protest at DOLE today 

What: Picket-protest by workers as DOLE conducts mediation
When: Today,  September 4, 12:00 noon
Where: DOLE Intramuros

The countdown to the looming strike at the leading cigarette firm begins today with members of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) holding a picket while the DOLE convenes another mediation hearing.

Production at Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. is set to be disrupted as a large majority of workers voted yes in strike balloting. In a vote conducted last Friday at Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Marikina City, 73% of union members authorized a strike. According to the rules, an actual strike can be launched seven days after the vote was submitted to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) last Saturday.

Protests at the Marikina factory are scheduled every change of shift tomorrow. On Thursday afternoon, workers will march from the factory to the Concepcion, Marikina church to advocate their cause to the residents.

The labor dispute at the leading cigarette manufacturer is part of a rising wave of workers unrest. Scores of notices of strike have been filed and strikes are erupting in various companies.

The cigarette company shutdown its Vigan, Ilocos Sur redrying plant and also laid off workers at Marikina factory almost a month ago. In response the union filed notice of strike on August 9 and started protests. Yesterday the union held a general assembly to finalize plans for the strike vote.

Management alleges "rightsizing" is due to forthcoming impact of TRAIN and other factors. Union avers shutdown and layoff is attended by bad faith and deceit as the basis and terms of the shutdown and layoff were not subject to negotiation.

Moreover management admitted that the company is profitable and workers have achieved the target key performance indicators. Thus the union is lambasting management for termination as a "reward" for labor productivity. Some P2.35B or 65% of the P 3.63B total income of the Lucio Tan Group for the first quarter of this year came from its tobacco business.

Photos of the various union protests and activities at https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/. ###

Disruption looms at leading cigarette firms as workers vote to strike



Disruption looms at leading cigarette firms as workers vote to strike

Production at Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. is set to be disrupted as a large majority of workers voted yes in strike balloting. In a vote conducted last Friday at Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Marikina City, some 73% of union members authorized a strike. According to the rules, an actual strike can be launched seven days after the vote was submitted to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) last Saturday.

“It is not too late for the company to resolve the dispute. We call on management to heed the workers’ demand for the reinstatement of 184 workers terminated as a result of the sudden closure of the Vigan redrying plant and the mass layoff at the Marikina factory,” stated Rene Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa and former president of the Marikina union.

Tomorrow a mediation has been called by the DOLE and while it is ongoing, workers will hold a protest in Intramuros. Daily protests are scheduled at Marikina including a march around the city.

The labor dispute at the leading cigarette manufacturer is part of a rising wave of workers unrest. Scores of notices of strike have been filed and strikes are erupting in various companies. Last week employees of the big Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda Healthcare Philippines in Rockwell, Makati went on strike over a deadlock in collective bargaining negotiations.

“The Constitution mandates that workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production. But at PMFTC, retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting key performance indicators,” argued Magtubo.

This month the Lucio Tan Group announced a P3.63 billion total income for the first quarter of this year. Some P2.35B or 65% of the total income of the Lucio Tan Group came from its tobacco business.

The PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories.

“Management told the union that the Vigan plant will be closed and sold to another entity. No other details were given. This raises the suspicion that this is another outsourcing program similar to the contractualization scheme at Philippine Airlines,” declared Gerry Rivera, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA-TUCP) and head of the newly formed Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa. Both PALEA and PMFTCLU are members of the Kapatiran.

He declared that “We express support for the fight of PMFTCLU for job security and against union busting. Ang laban ng isa ay laban ng lahat.”

“PMFTC management has been absolutely opaque behind the misnamed right-sizing plan. When management first discussed the plan before the union, they withheld the names of workers affected, they did not disclose how the termination process will proceed and finally they did not give any solid basis for the closure and redundancy. And then just hours after the meeting with the union, management unveiled its surprise gift to unsuspecting workers who were cajoled into signing separation without the presence of union officers who barred from entering the factory,” Magtubo elaborated.

Photos of the protests can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/

September 3, 2018