Season of discontent as unions file notices of strike over CBA deadlocks

 

An increasing number of unions are filing notices of strike over deadlocks with management over negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). “This is a season of discontent as workers fight for increases in wages and benefits against companies which are acting like Scrooges. The recent wage orders in different regions do not impact unionized workers who earn more than the minimum wage,” stated Judy Miranda, secretary general of Partido Manggagawa (PM).

 

A case in point is Union Motor Corporation in Otis, Manila, a dealer of Mitsubishi cars. The union filed a notice of strike over deadlock in CBA talks last November 12. Union members also voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike on November 22. Cyrus Salamon, president of the Union Motor Sales Corporation Employees Association, explained that “Since November 28, we are negotiating with management under the auspices of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board. Management has finally offered a counter proposal, so we are hopeful for an agreement that is acceptable to union members. Still, the notice of strike remains as we continue to fight for our just demands.”

 

Miranda bared that aside from Union Motor, the faculty union of a big university in the Visayas also has a pending notice of strike due to a CBA deadlock. She added that the dispute at the logistic company J&T Express was also on the brink of a strike but was recently averted through a timely agreement. “Last month, the provincial bus company Mark Eve’s Transport was hit by a strike over refusal of management to bargain with the union. The strike ended with management’s recognition of the union and an offer for the CBA. All these disputes reveal seething labor unrest over employers’ refusal to share with their workers the fruits of production,” Miranda elaborated.

 

Salamon clarified that the union is asking for improvements in the salary, rice subsidy, retirement pay and signing bonus. “Our demands are realistic and based upon the company’s financial capability,” he insisted.

 

Miranda said that a union and management of a tobacco factory is also having CBA talks and while talks have not reached a deadlock, the two sides are still far apart in terms of the union proposal and management counterproposal. “Again, economic demands by workers for improved wages and benefits mirror the difficulties faced by workers due to the high cost of living. Capitalists can easily afford these worker demands as labor productivity has increased by more than 50% over the last two decades while real wages have remained stagnant. In other words, the economic pie has become bigger, but the slice received by workers has remained the same,” she expounded.

 

PM and the Nagkaisa labor coalition are pushing for a P150 legislated wage hike as one pathway for workers to recover the lost purchasing power of their salaries. This was one of the main demands in the recent Bonifacio Day mobilizations across the country. 

Cigarette firm lost P4.5B in production due to month-long strike--union

 

Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. has lost some P4.5 billion in production due to a month-long strike, according to the union. The Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) has been on strike since September 28 and has maintained picketlines at the factories in Parang, Marikina and Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

“We estimate that in every shift, some P60 million worth of cigarettes have not been produced as scheduled. In three shifts per day, that is a total of P180 million. In the 25 lost production days since the start of the strike, that is about P4.5 billion,” declared Rey Almendras, PMFTCLU president.

Workers unrest is rising with a series of labor strikes in recent months and the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco strike is the biggest yet. Another mediation meeting is scheduled by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on November 9 in Marikina near the picketline.

In contrast, NutriAsia announced in July that it had lost P200 million in income in the course of one month due to the strike at its Marilao plant.

In August 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 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.

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.

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

November 5, 2018

Cigarette firm lost P1B in production due to strike--union

Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. has lost some P1 billion in production due to a week-long strike, according to the union. The Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) has been on strike since September 28 and has maintained picketlines at the factories in Parang, Marikina and Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

“We estimate that in every shift, some P60 million worth of cigarettes have not been produced as scheduled. In three shifts per day, that is a total of P180 million. In the eight lost production days since the start of the strike (not counting Sunday which a rest day), that is about P1.44 billion,” declared Rey Almendras, PMFTCLU president.

In contrast, NutriAsia announced in July that it had lost P200 million in income in the course of one month due to the strike at its Marilao plant.

“Management has nobody to blame but itself. We patiently participated in mediation meetings for a whole month between the filing of notice of strike and the actual start of the strike. But management took a hardline position of refusing to consider the union demand that retrenched workers be reinstated and the mass layoff be put in review,” stated Almendras.

He added that “We remind management about occupational safety protocols and call on them to stop forcing untrained scabs from operating machines. Likewise, the rules prohibit companies from hiring contractuals as striker replacements during disputes.”

Workers unrest is rising with a series of labor strikes in recent months and the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco strike is the biggest yet. The Marikina factory of the leading cigarette firm remains paralyzed since workers walked off the job in the middle of the shift on Friday last week.

“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,” reiterated Almendras.

In August 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 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.

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.

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

October 9, 2018

DOLE Usec could have helped resolve biggest strike yet--union

Fired DOLE Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod found an ally in the workers of the biggest strikebound factory to date. The Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) declared that Maglunsod could have helped resolve the labor dispute at the leading cigarette firm. Maglunsod was dismissed by President Rodrigo Duterte last Tuesday for the series of strikes that have broken out in the last few months.

“Duterte has nobody to blame but himself since his broken promises of ending endo, abolishing regional wages and jailing errant employers are the reasons why workers are launching strikes. Maglunsod has done a good job of trying to resolve the labor disputes. His only sin is making sure that workers are protected as mandated by the Labor Code and Constitution,” averred Rene Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa and former union president of PMFTC.

The week-long strike at the Marikina and Vigan, Ilocos Sur factories of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco remains pending as the mediation called by the DOLE-NCMB last Monday ended without any agreement. Management refused the union demand that retrenched workers be reinstated and the mass layoff be reviewed. Another mediation is set on October 10.

“If Usec Joemag were still around, we would definite seek his intervention. Too bad he was a victim of the hunt for Red October, which is really a fairy tale spun by the government to divert attention from the sufferings of the workers and the poor due to inflation, TRAIN and the rice shortage,” declared Rey Almendras, PMFTCLU president.

Workers unrest is rising with a series of labor strikes in recent months and the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco strike is the biggest yet. The Marikina factory of the leading cigarette firm remains paralyzed since workers walked off the job in the middle of the shift on Friday last week. Picketlines have also been set up in the Vigan, Ilocos Sur redrying plant.

“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,” reiterated Almendras.

In August 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 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.

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.

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

October 4, 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

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

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

Cigarette workers protest at DOLE today as strike nears

Workers of Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC) picketed today the Intramuros office of the Department of Labor and Employment while mediation was ongoing between management and the union. Members of the Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) and their supporters carried placards that said “Job security not redundancy” and “Welga sagot sa tanggalan.”

The union is set to hold a strike vote in a few days. A strike can then be held seven days after a majority of union members vote yes. Yesterday the union held a general assembly in preparation for the strike vote.

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. This morning, employees of the big Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda Healthcare Philippines in Rockwell, Makati went on strike over a deadlock in collective bargaining negotiations.

The leading cigarette manufacturer shut down its Vigan, Ilocos Sur redrying plant affecting 90 workers and also laid off 220 workers (a third of the 600 workforce) at its Marikina factory early this month. In response the union filed notice of strike last August 9 and immediately started protests.

“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. What kind of system is this?,” argued Rene Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa and former president of the Marikina union.

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/

28 August 2018

Labor group welcomes 300,000 new regular workers

Photo from Rappler.com

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) welcomed the announcement of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello that the employers group ECOP has pledged to make 300,000 contractual workers as regulars. The group though asked for details of the commitment.

“Good news is always welcome. We would like to believe that the statement of Sec. Bello is true but we do ask that the DOLE and ECOP reveal the terms of the commitment to regularize 300,000 endo employees. The devil is in the details. We have to read the fine print,” declared Rene Magtubo, national chair of Partido Manggagawa.

The declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte in his last SONA that the DOLE had already regularized 300,000 workers this year provoked a heated exchange between workers groups and the DOLE about the veracity of the figure. At the heart of the controversy is whether the workers were regularized in the principal companies or merely in the contracting agencies.

Magtubo also insisted that “We also call on ECOP to persuade employers like PLDT, NutriAsia and Wyeth to follow the compliance orders of the DOLE to regularize in their companies contractual workers previously dispatched to them by manpower agencies.”

He asserted that “It would be good if ECOP and Sec. Bello would divulge their agreement to the public in order for other employers’ group to follow suit. We would like to be appraised of the terms of the agreement so we can assess that it is within the framework of the present law and regulation which provides that dispatched workers performing jobs or functions directly related to the principal business of the employer should become its employees.”

Magtubo also reminded the DOLE that workers unrest is brewing as labor disputes and concerted actions have hit companies like PLDT, NutriAsia, Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco and companies in the Cavite export processing zones.

Tomorrow a meeting is being convened by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board office in Intramuros between the management and union of Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. A notice of strike was filed by the Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) last Thursday over the closure of its Vigan, Ilocos Sur redrying plant and the mass layoff at the Parang, Marikina factory that led to the loss of 90 and 220 jobs respectively. The union is alleging unfair labor practice for the opacity of the basis and process of the termination.

“Retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting efficiency targets. Instead, shouldn’t workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production as stipulated in the Constitution,” averred Magtubo who was former local president of PMFTCLU-NAFLU.

August 14, 2018

Women labor leaders urge Congress to pass the 100-Day Expanded Maternity Leave bill

Women labor leaders are urging the leadership and members of House of Representatives to pass the Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) bill before the Women’s Month ends and Congress goes on recess on March 22.

"It's about time that women workers enjoy this rightful benefit,” declared Judy Ann Miranda, Nagkaisa-Women spokesperson. 

Miranda, who is also the Secretary-General of Partido Manggagawa (PM), explained that the Philippines lags behind its ASEAN neighbors when it comes to protecting its mothers and their children. 

Vietnam provides 120-180 days of maternity leave depending on the working conditions and nature of work. Singapore provides 112 days while Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand surpassed ours with 84 days of paid maternity leave.   Likewise, a minimum of 98 days is prescribed under Convention 183 of the International Labor Organization (ILO). 

“Our current maternity leave law provides only for a 60-day leave which is inadequate and not even at par with international and regional standards,” said Miranda. 

The last time the number of paid maternity leave days was adjusted was in 1992. “The 100-day EML is therefore an improvement to say the least but women workers will never forget the fact that for over a quarter of a century, they were denied this necessary adjustment,” added Miranda. 

For Jessica de Ocampo of Workers4EML and Secretary-General of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. Labor Union (PMFTCLU), working mothers need to spend more TIME with their children to ensure that they receive optimum care. 

“Infants during the first six months of their lives should be fed with breast milk exclusively but the present law provides only for 60 days of maternity leave for normal delivery and 78 days for those who have undergone Caesarian operations. As it is, women workers are being asked to report back to work between two months or two and a half months from delivery,” said Ocampo. 

Reporting back to work that early, according to Ocampo, puts the health of mothers at risk and lessens the chances of working mothers to exclusively feed their children with breast milk. 

The proposed legislation also provides women with more relief in taking care of their babies in their first few months since even without an additional paternity leave, women can apportion some of their 100 days EML to their husband, partners or any other kin who would help them take care of their child. 

"Over the past decades, more and more women have entered the labor force. Yet as they take on more paid work, their reproductive and domestic role as primary care providers for their children and the rest of the family has not changed. This proposal is progressive as women will be able to share the responsibility of infant care with their significant other or relative,” said Ocampo.

Furthermore, according to Annie Geron, President of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLink), more than half of public sector employees are women and they are predominant in essential care and social services like health and education. 

“Amid the rising expectations and mounting needs of the public for women workforce in frontline services, the EML will now ensure the health and well being of our women workers to enable them to deliver quality public services. EML is long over due and it is a just social investment not only for women but also for the present and future generation,” said Geron. 

Finally, the Nagkaisa! Labor coalition expressed appreciation on the efforts of Congresswoman Bernadette Herrera Dy, chairperson of the Committee on Women and Gender Equality and for the authors of the said bill for their commitment to have the bill passed. 

The group now urges the House leadership to ensure its passage before they go into a Lenten break week.

PRESS RELEASE

Nagkaisa! and Workers4EML

March 12, 2018

Tobacco workers urged to fight mass layoff

Press Release

January 20, 2015

The labor party Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the workers of cigarette giant Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) to contest the legality of the retrenchment of almost half of the workforce at one of its plant even as it lambasted the mass layoff as “objectionable and unnecessary.”

PM announced that it is ready to support PMFTC workers who are aggrieved by the mass firing as it contended that the company has numerous ways of coping with declining sales short of sacrificing workers’ jobs.

News reports last week cited that PMFTC will fire 640 workers in its Marikina plant due to a 6% drop in market share that it lost to upstart Mighty Corp. “The numbers speak for themselves. Despite the drop in sales, PMFTC is undeniably profitable and continues to enjoy monopoly advantage, with 70% control over the cigarette market,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chair and past union president of the erstwhile Fortune Tobacco Corp.

PM believes that the “hidden agenda” behind the mass layoff is to weaken if not bust the union. Magtubo averred that “PMFTC’s selection of employees to be terminated did not follow a fair and reasonable criterion as all of those affected workers in the unionized Marikina factory and none were in unorganized Batangas plant.”

He added “It is not done in good faith. The retrenchment should have been tabled by management during the negotiations for the collective bargaining agreement that was concluded just last December. And so the mass layoff a few weeks after came as a complete surprise to the clueless workers.”

Magtubo insisted that “The 1,000 unaffected workers in Marikina cannot sleep soundly as a further 10% drop in PMFTC’s market share would mean the termination of all the remaining positions, if we follow management’s twisted retrenchment logic.”

Finally the group criticized the PMFTC union and its labor federation for “surrendering to the mass layoff without even putting up a fight.” Magtubo explained that “The union PMFTCLU-NAFLU-BMP simply capitulated and then handcuffed itself by agreeing to management’s demand that it withhold assistance to workers who will contest the mass layoff.”

“Even assuming the company’s assertions are correct, PMFTC stands to lose some revenue but it will indisputably remain profitable and a virtual monopoly. The 640 workers however stand to lose their regular livelihood with not much hope in this jobless growth economy,” Magtubo emphasized.

Bonifacio day commemorated with anti-contractualization, anti-globalization calls

Press Release
November 30, 2010

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) commemorated Bonifacio day with nationwide mass actions calling for government action to regulate contractualization and for workers resistance to globalization. “Imperialist globalization is the modern-day colonialism. Thus the fight against globalization is the continuation of Bonifacio’s struggle for sovereignty and justice,” asserted Judy Amm Miranda, PM secretary general.

In Manila members of PM, Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA), Fortune Tobacco Labor Union and United Cavite Workers Association met at Morayta by 10:00 am and then marched onto Mendiola around 11:00 am for a joint rally with other labor groups.

The group brought black lanterns to symbolize the bleak Christmas awaiting workers of Philippines Airlines (PAL), Fortune Tobacco and other companies due to the onslaught of contractualization and the threat of layoffs.

Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and PM vice chair, said that “The suspension of the ruling of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz is merely temporary pending the results of the mediation efforts sponsored by PNoy at Malacañang. In fact after the first meeting more than a week ago with Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa, we have not had another yet and we have not had face-to-face negotiations with management at Malacañang. Thus we do not know if PAL management is willing to compromise on its hardline position on the controversial outsourcing plan.”

The protests today are nationwide in scope with the same calls of “Fight contractualization, Oppose globalization.” In Cebu City there was a labor unity rally at downtown Colon St. in the morning. In Bacolod City some 500 industrial workers and hacienda laborers held a program at the Bacolod City Plaza-Rotonda. In Davao City, there was another labor unity march in the afternoon from the Freedom Park at Orcullo St. to the Bonifacio monument at the city hall.

“The nationwide rallies today are our way of expressing our position on outsourcing, mergers, layoffs and other forms of corporate restructuring. We hold that management prerogative is not absolute and cannot trample upon workers’ right to job security and the freedom to unionize,” insisted Miranda.

The Bonifacio day protests are part of the series of activities in the campaign for regular jobs and against contractual employment. Yesterday PM and PALEA held a mini-rally at Welcome Rotonda in Manila in which workers tore 5-months employment contracts in a reenactment of the shredding of cedulas by Bonifacio and the Katipuneros.

PM to use “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” brand in campaign for regular jobs

Press Release
November 24, 2010

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) lauded the delicadeza of resigned Tourism undersecretary Enteng Romano even as it plans to use the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” brand for its anti-contractualization protest. Renato Magtubo, PM chair said that “Enteng Romano deserves credit for taking responsibility for his mistakes. But his inspiration will not go unused since we will make ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’ a slogan in the campaign for regular jobs.”

He added that “The ‘Pilipinas Kay Ganda’ brand captures our dream of a country where workers enjoy job security, living wages, substantial benefits, decent working conditions and the freedom to have a voice and representation in the workplace through a union.”

In tomorrow’s mass action at Ayala Ave. in Makati, PM will bring tarpaulins with the message “Kung Walang Kontraktwal, Pilipinas Kay Ganda” and “Kung Trabaho ay Regular, Pilipinas Kay Ganda.” Tomorrow is the National Day of Action for Regular Jobs and Against Contractual Employment spearheaded by the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), the anti-contractualization coalition KONTRA, the Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR), the Church-Labor Conference and PM.

Also joining the Ayala march are workers of Fortune Tobacco Corporation (FTC) who are opposing management’s plans to retrench layoff some 2,000 workers. The workers will be retrenched before possibly being rehired as new employees of the merged company Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC). In a meeting between FTC management and Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (FTLU) last week, the latter was informed that older workers will be offered an early retirement plan while younger employees will be terminated and then hired as new workers in the merged company.

Arnulfo Macabutas, FTLU vice-president, said that “We demand that no worker be retrenched and instead that they be absorbed as regular employees of PMFTC with no loss in seniority, wages or benefits. The union and the collective bargaining agreement must likewise be recognized by PMFTC.”

FTLU is basing its demand on jurisprudence that in cases of corporate mergers, there is a continuation in the employment relations from the original companies to the merger entity. “The Supreme Court has ruled that the successor company absorbs all the obligations of the original company with regards to its employees including any exclusive bargaining agent and collective bargaining agreement,” Macabutas.

FTLU members have been mobilizing in mass actions to press for its demand. Last November 10, some 500 FTLU members held a torch parade from the factory to the Concepcion Church in Marikina City.

Fortune Tobacco workers oppose retrench-rehire plan, demand continuation of employment status in merged company

Press Release
November 23, 2010

The workers of Fortune Tobacco Corporation (FTC) are opposing management’s plans to retrench some 2,000 workers before possible rehiring as new employees of the merged company Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC). In a meeting between FTC management and Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (FTLU) last week, the latter was informed that older workers will be offered an early retirement plan while younger employees will be terminated and then hired as new workers in the merged company.

Arnulfo Macabutas, FTLU vice-president, said that “We demand that no worker be retrenched and instead that they be absorbed as regular employees of PMFTC with no loss in seniority, wages or benefits. The union and the collective bargaining agreement must likewise be recognized by PMFTC.”

FTLU members have been mobilizing in mass actions to press for its demand. They will be participating in “National Day of Action for Regular Jobs and Against Contractual Employment” on Thursday. Last November 10, some 500 FTLU members held a torch parade from the factory to the Concepcion Church in Marikina City. Yesterday FTC workers were set to hold prayer rally in front of the factory gates but heavy rains forced cancellation of the protest.

FTLU is basing its demand on jurisprudence that in cases of corporate mergers, there is a continuation in the employment relations from the original companies to the merger entity. “The Supreme Court has ruled that the successor company absorbs all the obligations of the original company with regards to its employees including any exclusive bargaining agent and collective bargaining agreement,” Macabutas.

Last February FTC and Philip Morris Philippines, Inc. announced the formation of the joint venture company PMFTC with a 50-50 stake from the original companies. The merger created a monopoly in the tobacco industry in the country since FTC controls 60% share of the market while PMPI has 30%.

The various labor groups that have denounced the decision of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on the mass layoff at Philippine Airlines will hold the nationwide protest to push for government regulation against contractualization. Aside from FTLU, the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) will lead the main activity at Ayala Ave. in Makati. Big labor groups that have confirmed attendance in the march along Ayala Ave. include the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Partido ng Manggagawa, Koalisyon Kontra Kontraktwalisasyon (KONTRA), Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR), and the Church-Labor Conference (CLC).

Rallies will also be held in other key cities like Davao, General Santos and Bacolod on November 25. In Cebu City the mass action will be held tomorrow with a labor forum at the ALU Building in the morning and then an afternoon rally at the Department of Labor and Employment office.