Workers of a garments firm in
the Mactan Economic Zone in Cebu have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike.
Members of the labor union at the First Glory Philippines voted 103 yes with
none against in a strike poll conducted yesterday. A meeting has been called by
the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) this afternoon to avert an
actual strike.
“First Glory management has
taken a hardline position in all of the mediation meetings called by the
Philippine Export Zone Authority and the NCMB despite being unable to
substantiate its claim of losses. We demand that First Glory reinstate all 300
workers that were retrenched as this was done in bad faith and for the purpose
of busting the newly-formed union,” declared Cristito Pangan, president of
First Glory labor union.
The First Glory factory has
been embroiled in a labor dispute since it fired some 300 workers last November
27. The next day, the workers staged a march inside the Mactan ecozone that
ended with a program at the MEPZ gate. Then a rally of terminated First Glory
workers last November 30 was broken up by police and led to the arrest of Pangan
and four labor organizers. The so-called MEPZ 5 were later released as their
cases for “disobedience to person in authority” were dismissed.
The firings at First Glory
comes on the heels of mass layoffs at other garment firms in the Mactan ecozone
since August. The Sports City group of companies retrenched 4,000 workers,
Yuenthai fired 2000 workers, FCO International laid off 100 workers and Kor
Landa dismissed 67 workers including union officers.
Most of the dismissed First
Glory workers were union members, including all of the officers and the
president. The union’s petition for certification election has been granted by
the Department of Labor and Employment. Petitions for certification election
have also been granted by the DOLE to unions in three factories of the Sports
City group of companies.
Pangan insisted that “First
Glory management is using losses due to lost orders as its alibi for
retrenchment. However, its main customer has already exited from bankruptcy in
September. Further, production is in full swing and workers are asked to report
for duty even on holidays and Sunday.”
“The labor dispute at First
Glory is symptomatic of the epidemic of labor rights violations during the time
of covid. Employers are exploiting the covid-19 crisis to bust unions and shift
to contract work. Aside from First Glory, this also revealed by the shutdown of
the Arcya Glass factory in Laguna,” Pangan averred. Arcya Glass workers have setup
a picketline outside the factory in Calamba.
December 23, 2020
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