Partido Manggagawa Demands the Release of Five Unionists Arrested in Cebu

As workers commemorated Bonifacio Day in a nationally coordinated action, Partido Manggagawa (Labor Party) demanded the release of unionists Dennis Derige, Myra Opada, Joksan Branzuela, Jonel Labrador, and Cristito Pangan.

 

Opada is the union president at Philippine Light Leather, Pangan is the union president at First Glory Apparel while Derige, Branzuela and Labrador are union organizers.

 

The Mactan Economic Zone has been a site of struggle between local labor and foreign capital.  Last Friday, Nov. 27th, some 300 workers of the First Glory Apparel were fired -- the latest in the surge of mass layoffs at garment firms in the zone in the past three months.  The Sports City group of companies laid off 4,000 workers, Yuenthai fired 200 workers, FCO laid off 100 workers and Kor Landa retrenched 67 workers.

 

To mark Bonifacio Day, members of the Mactan Ecozone Workers Alliance, Partido Manggagawa, and Sentro assembled at Gate 3 and marched to Gate 2 where they held a program highlighting the Zone capitalists' attack on the right of workers to unionize, bargain collectively, seek redress of grievance and assemble peacefully. However, police broke up the rally and arrested the five unionists.

 

Rene Magtubo of PM called for an end to the repression of labor rights and the harassment of human rights defenders.  "Activism is not terrorism," said Magtubo.  "This is precisely the theme of today's national and global commemoration of Bonifacio Day."

 

The arrest of the PM Cebu labor organizers underscores the escalating attacks on workers' rights in the country, said Magtubo.  "It adds to the unsolved killings of unionists, busting of unions, and red-tagging of union activists." 

 

Last year, PM-Cavite labor organizer Dennis Sequena was brutally murdered while facilitating a labor seminar.  No one has been arrested, much less charged with his murder.

 

The impunity with which workers are fired in economic zones like Mactan, in the middle of a pandemic, graphically illustrates the inability of the government to ensure job security for native labor, and its puppetry toward foreign capital.  As employment shrinks steadily and dramatically in the country, the brunt of the double blow of a recession and a pandemic is felt most grievously by the Philippine working class.

Arrest of Cebu labor organizers slammed

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) denounced the arrest of several of its leaders and organizers in Cebu during the Bonifacio Day action of workers in the gate of the Mactan Economic Zone.

 

“We call for the release of PM leaders Dennis Derige, Myra Opada, Joksan Branzuela, Jonel Labrador and Cristito Pangan. Activism is not terrorism. Repression of labor rights and harassment of human rights defenders must stop. This is precisely the theme of today’s national and global commemoration of Bonifacio Day,” declard Rene Magtubo.

 

Members of Mactan Ecozone Workers Alliance, Partido Manggagawa and Sentro assembled at the Gate 3 of the Mactan Economic Zone at 8:00 am then marched towards Gate 2 where they held a program that highlighted the attacks on workers’ rights to unionize, bargain collectively, seek redress of grievances, and peaceful assembly.

 

Retrenched workers of factories in the Mactan ecozone joined the Bonifacio Day commemoration in Cebu against repression of labor rights. Last Friday, some 300 workers of First Glory Apparel were fired. This comes on the heels of mass layoffs at other garment firms in the Mactan ecozone in the last three months—the Sports City group of companies retrenched 4,000 workers, Yuenthai fired 2000 workers and FCO laid off 100 workers.

 

Magtubo insisted that “The arrest of PM Cebu labor organizers puts a spotlight on the escalating attacks on workers’ rights in the country and adds to the unsolved killings of unionists, busting of unions and red-tagging of union activists. Last PM-Cavite labor organizer Dennis Sequena was brutally murdered last year while facilitating a labor seminar.” 

November 30, 2020

Foodpanda riders protest harassed by police, 1 arrested

 

 

Some 700 riders of the food delivery app Foodpanda held a “unity ride” today to seek redress of their grievances. However the peaceful protest at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was marred by an altercation with police from the Intramuros station. Jack Vergara of the Food Panda Riders Association was arrested while the cellphone of Romeo Maglunsod of the Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (KAGULONG) was confiscated by the police.

 

“We condemn the harassment by the Manila police of a peaceful concerted action by workers that is a constitutionally guaranteed right. We ask Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello to ensure that workers’ right to redress of grievances is observed at the DOLE area. That is traditionally a site of protest but police are now using the pandemic as an excuse to suppress the right to peaceful assembly,” stated Rene Magtubo, national chair of Partido Manggagawa which is supporting the Foodpanda riders.

 

The Foodpanda riders assembled at the Film Center/Cultural Center of the Philippines area before proceeding to the DOLE to seek an audience and deliver a letter addressed to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello.

 

The groups are asking the DOLE to conduct an inspection for the purpose of resolving the grievances of the Foodpanda riders. Riders are discontented over recent changes in Foodpanda policies that have negatively affected their pay and working conditions.

 

“Pay is tied to bookings which are affected by so-called ‘grades.’ But the grading system is opaque. Grades have fallen due to changes in the system which penalize riders. Pay has also been reduced per delivery due to a new system,” explained Don Pangan of KAGULONG.

 

Further, a policy called “undispatch” forces riders to rush in order to pick up an order, thereby putting their safety at peril. The groups are demanding the removal of “undispatch,” and transparency and fairness in policies, including the computation of the pay for deliveries.

 

Pangan added that “Food Panda riders are called delivery partners but in reality are employees of the company owning the app. Food Panda riders are subject to control and supervision of the company as shown by the impact of policy changes on pay and condition. Foodpanda riders are not independent contractors but ordinary employees of th company owning the app.”

 

The groups are calling on the DOLE to act on their request for dialogue and inspection. “This is only the start of our advocacy for the rights and welfare of Foodpanda rider and other gig workers. Ang laban ng Foodpanda riders ay laban ng lahat ng gig workers,” insisted Pangan.

Food Panda Riders Association

Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (KAGULONG)

November 18, 2020

 

Intl, local groups ask Bello to act on killing of Cavite union organizer

International and local labor groups are asking Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello for action on the killings of labor leaders after the fatal shooting of a union organizer in Cavite during a meeting of workers.

“We deplore the ongoing violence and assassinations targeting labour and human rights defenders in the Philippines. Extrajudicial killings must be stopped and the environment of impunity must come to an end. It is the responsibility of the government of the Philippines to ensure that the lives and personal security of workers and activists must be guaranteed and that they are able to exercise their basic rights without threats and fear,” stated Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The ITUC represents 207 million workers in 163 countries.

The ITUC letter to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello arose from the fatal shooting of Dennis Sequena, provincial leader of the Partido Manggagawa (PM) in Cavite, while meeting a group of ecozone workers last June 2.

The labor coalition Nagkaisa earlier called on the Department of Labor and Employment for urgent response on the death of Sequena.

“We demand action from Secretary Bello to stop the series of extra-judicial killings of labor activists and trade unionists. As Labor Secretary, he must raise a voice against these killings. And we ask him to immediately convene the National Tripartite Monitoring Body (NTMB) which has the mandate to probe labor-related EJK’s,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

The NTMB was formed in response to the recommendation of the International Labor Organization High Level Mission (ILO HLM) in 2009 to investigate violations of the freedom of association and killings of trade unionists.

Yesterday, scores of workers attended a tribute to Sequena at his wake in Workersville, Tanza, Cavite. He was honored a “hero of epza workers.” Epza is the popular term for the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario which is the largest export processing area in the country.

Sequena is to be buried on the morning of June 12. Hundreds are expected to participate in the funeral march which will also be a protest to seek justice for his killing.

THE ITUC letter can be accessed here: https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ituc_letter_to_dole_on_leonides_dennis_sequena.pdf.

Photos of the tribute to Sequena can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/10157187408269323?__xts__[0]=68.ARAse6d1ymGJdc2i7_QnNY7PiMHoy_2-VP-YWBmbjkOtXuIa1pFmXdt0Yw3WYE83v8GlevF5-NhxMk2bH9gEPwu5N8iu1j1RWOGdtfYU-Fi_GMc6kjWZ0-9RimVMyleMiuP8CPSPwdha2NGQLHhmxWv2FwaHLSvZK9xGTfCvDubeyxmLB9jlxs0N_dR_SmsBQ_xOF6GDQXk_Cw2Ez8BZn3uQNhY_VHY7zekIUWgFxswAVNH-vPnSGRmzO1aBk0TN4wvkvZBBeY_Mhp8o2NThrhWJKD6mWssgw_nEr8ZdafeDYG75pUSbc2JdJorCIXAW2tqNysGy8uYCP669p6Jc&__tn__=-R 

June 10, 2019

PM condemns violent dispersal of NutriAsia protest

Partido Manggagawa condemns in strongest terms the violent dispersal of PNP forces on the peaceful protest action of workers and their supporters which has resulted into scores of injuries and arrests.

The issue of the protest action is a legitimate one—the demand for regularization of hundreds of workers employed by manpower agencies for many years to the principal employer, the NutriAsia.

We call on the people, especially workers, to boycott NutriAsia products until the labor dispute is resolved. The boycott will not only support the legitimate struggle of workers, but more importantly, send a strong message by the public to NutriAsia, that consumers will not patronize products sold and profited by a company that is violating workers’ rights.

We call on the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the incident and file appropriate actions to those found violating worker’s constitutional right to peaceful concerted action including the right to strike.

We also call on the Department of Labor and Employment to step up their effort in mediating the labor dispute in NutriAsia with the end in view of strictly enforcing compliance with labor laws and regulations pertaining to labor contracting.

Finally, we call on the Senate to prioritize the deliberation of Senate Bill 1826 in order for Congress to finally legislate a new law governing labor contracting in the country. A new law that clearly upholds worker’s right to security of tenure and effectively address widespread use of contractual labor would surely help in averting labor disputes such as in NutriAsia.

July 31, 2018

Labor group slams criminalization of unionists

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) today condemned the criminalization of unionists in Cebu, Valenzuela and Cavite. In Cebu, a “wanted list” of unionists were posted at the gate of the Mactan Economic Zone and its security office last Wednesday. In Valenzuela, in the middle of negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), a union president and vice president were arrested due to a criminal complaint also last Wednesday. Finally in Cavite, criminal complaints were also filed against union officers.

“We are alarmed at this disturbing pattern of unionists being treated as criminals. Unionism is not a crime. But with the prevailing culture of impunity, employers are emboldened to criminalize unionists and treat them as terrorists,” declared Rene Magtubo, national of PM.

Names and pictures of Myra Opada, Luzelie Gesta and Aurelia Parangan were on the “wanted list” in the Mactan ecozone. Opada is union president at Philippine Light Leather Corp. (PLLC), Gesta is secretary of the union and Parangan is an active member. All three have been terminated by PLLC management but the workers have filed cases of union busting, unfair labor practice and illegal dismissal.

Meanwhile, the president and vice president of the labor union at the Nation Paper Products and Printing Corp. (NAPPCO) were arrested and detained at a Valenzuela police station for two days already. The union is trying to raise the P36,000 total bail for the two. The CBA negotiations were cancelled as a result of the arrest and detention.

Cases for falsification of public documents by were filed against union officers at Jisoo Garments Manufacturing Corp. and Dong Seung Inc. in the Cavite ecozone more than a month ago. The criminal complaints followed other instances of harassment by management of active unionists in the two Korean-owned garments factories.

“While police are arresting tambays for crimes that have not been committed, employers are similarly engaged in criminalizing unionists for exercising their rights as workers. Police should instead arrest employers who are illegally employing endo workers, under paying workers for wages and benefits and not remitting deduction for SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth,” argued Magtubo.

The group is studying the possibility of a congressional investigation of the spate of incidents of union repression in the country. A global union body had listed the Philippines as among the worst countries for workers in its 2018 Global Rights Index. 

June 29, 2018

Militant labor opposes martial law in Mindanao

The militant group Partido Manggagawa (PM) today expressed opposition to the imposition of martial law in Mindanao in the wake of armed confrontations between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the so-called Maute group in Marawi City.

“Martial law in Mindanao is a disproportionate response to a localized problem. It is like using a gun to kill a fly when a swatter will suffice. The lessons of Philippine history is that martial rule is a problem not a solution as it leads to abuses and dictatorship,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that martial law will affect the exercise of civil liberties and labor rights in Mindanao. “There have been several labor strikes in Mindanao since last year and also workers’ protest actions against contractualization. Under martial law, the military can be called to suppress such legitimate acts of redress workers’ grievances. It certainly won’t be the first time such happens,” Magtubo insisted.

PM also called on Congress to revoke the declaration of martial in exercise its prerogatives to review the presidential order. The group has learned that the Congress leadership has informed solons to be on standby up to Friday. According to safeguards embedded in the Constitution, Congress has to affirm any declaration of martial law and may revoke it after 48 hours.

The group further called on Congress to review the state of lawlessness imposed over the whole of the Philippines since September 3, 2016. “The state of lawlessness has not been lifted. The imposition of martial law on top of a declaration of state of lawlessness is an escalating threat to civil liberties, political freedoms and labor rights,” Magtubo averred.

He argued that “We just hope that President Duterte’s Moscow declaration of martial law has not been unduly influenced by the alleged charisma of Putin who has been widely criticized for erecting constitutional authoritarianism in Russia.”

May 24, 2017

Workers reinstated in deal to end Cavite EPZA strike

The five day strike at an electronics subcon in the Cavite EPZA, the country’s biggest export zone, ended yesterday with the reinstatement of workers earlier fired for union activities. Striking workers of Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC) will go back to work next week, including eighteen illegally terminated employees, in a deal reached at a mediation meeting convened by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Two retrenched workers earlier accepted the separation offer of management and are not covered by the agreement.

“We will report for work with our heads held up and with our dignity as workers recognized. We owe this victory to the determination of our union members who paralyzed the operations of SYTIC for almost a week and forced management to accede to our just demand for reinstatement. We hope this is the start of management’s change of heart that it needs to give workers their due and respect their rights,” stated Frederick Bayot, president of the SYTIC workers union.

The striking SYTIC workers earlier threatened to escalate protests inside and outside the Cavite EPZA if their demands were not met. More than a hundred members of the partylist group Partido Manggagawa (PM) and the union Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) occupied the DOLE office in Imus, Cavite while the mediation meeting was ongoing yesterday. While Thursday night the SYTIC strikers and their supporters marched around the export zone and hopped from one factory to another to solicit support from EPZA workers.

Union officers and members were fired by SYTIC management in an attempt to bust the union that was formed to address numerous workplace issues. SYTIC workers complained of wages that partly are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, illegal deduction on wages for company events, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule, and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed, as provided for in the Labor Code.

“We call on the DOLE to act on the complaint we earlier filed at the provincial office about labor standards violations at SYTIC to ensure that they are appropriately and promptly addressed,” Bayot insisted.

He added that “We also would not have won without the solidarity of fellow workers in other EPZA factories and labor groups like PM, PALEA and Sentro who extended moral and logistical support for our picketline. The workers united will never be defeated.”

SYTIC manufactures plastic products that provide protection to integrated circuits and electronic components from physical and electrostatic discharge during storage and shipping. Its three biggest customers are ON Semiconductor Philippines Inc. in Carmona, Cavite, Analog Devices General Trias Inc. in the Gateway Business Park in General Trias, Cavite and Texas Instruments factories in Baguio and Clark ecozones. All are local subsidiaries of US multinational companies. ON Semiconductor is a spinoff of Motorola. SYTIC also supplies to Cavite-based factories of local subsidiaries of US electronics companies Maxim Integrated and Cypress. It exports part of its production to C-Pak Cergas in Malaysia.

April 16, 2016

Back-to-back rallies held in support of strikers in Cavite EPZA

Protest rallies were held today and yesterday in support of the demand of striking workers in the country’s biggest export zone for the reinstatement of illegally fired employees. The strike entered its fifth day as the Department of Labor and Employment convened another mediation meeting today between the union and management of the strikebound Seung Yeun Techonology Industries Corp. (SYTIC).

“We demand the reinstatement of the SYTIC 21 who were terminated for their union activities and the redress of labor standards violations. If not then protests inside and outside the Cavite EPZA will escalate,” stated Frederick Bayot, union president of the SYTIC workers.

This morning more than 100 members of the partylist group Partido Manggagawa (PM) and the union Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) staged a solidarity rally to express for the striking workers while the mediation meeting was ongoing. Last night the SYTIC strikers and their supporters marched around the export zone and hopped from one factory to another to solicit support from EPZA workers.

Union officers and members were fired by SYTIC management in an attempt to bust the union that was formed to address numerous workplace issues. SYTIC workers complained of wages that partly are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, illegal deduction on wages for company events, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule, and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed, as provided for in the Labor Code.

“We call on SYTIC’s customers to make good on their code of conduct pledge. These big electronics companies have promised to respect freedom of association and labor standards in their supply chains, which includes SYTIC,” urged Bayot.

The three biggest customers of SYTIC are ON Semiconductor Philippines Inc. in Carmona, Cavite, Analog Devices General Trias Inc. in the Gateway Business Park in General Trias, Cavite and Texas Instruments factories in Baguio and Clark ecozones. All are local subsidiaries of US multinational companies. ON Semiconductor is a spinoff of Motorola. SYTIC also supplies to Cavite-based factories of local subsidiaries of US electronics companies Maxim Integrated and Cypress. All these companies are members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) which pledges to uphold freedom of association and labor standards in their companies and its supply chains.

In its website, EICC avers that it is “a nonprofit coalition of electronics companies committed to supporting the rights and wellbeing of workers and communities affected by the global electronics supply chain.” EICC members are bound and accountable to a “code of conduct.” The code is a set of standards on social, environmental and ethical issues in the electronics industry supply chain.

“Partido Manggagawa (PM) through its allies and contacts have made representation to the EICC and directly to SYTIC’s customers about the ongoing dispute. We ask that they respond in accordance with the provisions of the EICC code of conduct,” explained Dennis Sequena, a PM-Cavite coordinator.

Since the strike begun last Monday, strikers were joined at the picketline by supporters from PM, PALEA, the labor center Sentro and workers from nearby EPZA factories.

Advisory: Militants to rally today while DOLE mediates dispute in Cavite EPZA factory

Protest march around the Cavite export zone

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 15, 2016

Contact: Dennis Sequena @ 09301803072

Militants to rally while DOLE mediates dispute in Cavite EPZA factory

WHAT: Members of PM and PALEA to hold solidarity rally during mediation meeting called by DOLE between union and management of strikebound factory

WHEN: Today, April 15, 2016, 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: NCMB Imus @ MYP GBY Building, Bayan Luma 7, Aguinaldo Highway

DETAILS:  The Department of Labor and Employment is convening a mediation meeting today between the union and management of strikebound factory of Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC). To coincide with the meeting, more than a 100 members members of Partido Manggagawa and the union Philippine Airlines Employees Association will hold a solidarity rally to express support for the striking workers.

           Last night the SYTIC strikers and workers from other EPZA factories held a protest march around the country's biggest export zone.

The SYTIC workers are now on their fifth day on strike. They are demanding the reinstatement of 21 workers illegally fired for union activities and the redress of labor standards violations.

The workers formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards.  Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, illegal deductions, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed.

SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that is part of the electronics industry supply chain. SYTIC’s main customers are local subsidiaries of big US multinationals like ON Semiconductor, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated and Cypress.

Union calls for reinstatement of fired workers to avert strike

A labor union demanded the reinstatement of terminated workers to avert a strike in an electronics subcontractor in the Cavite ecozone. Last March, 20 union officers and members were terminated by the management of Korean-owned Seung Yuen Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC). In response, the union filed a notice of strike for union busting and a majority of union members have authorized a strike in a vote conducted last week.

“We call on SYTIC management to heed the call of their workers. Reinstate the workers they illegally fired for union activities. Stop busting the union and respect freedom of association,” averred Frederick Bayot, union president.

Two mediation meetings convened by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ended inconclusively. In the last mediation hearing, management informed the workers that the company will shutdown on May 4. SYTIC workers have been conducting protest actions for the past several days. And last Friday, some 100 SYTIC workers and their supporters from nearby factories marched inside the Cavite ecozone to drum up solidarity for the fight.

“The mass retrenchment and company closure are obvious attempts to bust the union. Non-union employees are being told they will be hired once the company opens for business again. Since the successful formation of a union, management has harassed workers, threatened them with closure, offered them separation pay, and employed other dirty tricks used to bust unions,” stated Dennis Sequena, an organizer of Partido Manggagawa, a partylist group which is assisting the SYTIC workers.

SYTIC manufactures plastic products that provide protection to integrated circuits and electronic components from physical and electrostatic discharge during storage and shipping. Its three biggest customers are ON Semiconductor Philippines Inc. in Carmona, Cavite, Analog Devices General Trias Inc. in the Gateway Business Park in General Trias, Cavite and Texas Instruments factories in Baguio and Clark ecozones. All are local subsidiaries of US multinational companies. ON Semiconductor is a spinoff of Motorola. SYTIC also supplies to Cavite-based factories of local subsidiaries of US electronics companies Maxim Integrated and Cypress. It exports part of its production to C-Pak Cergas in Malaysia.

The workers formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards. . Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule, and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed, as provided for in the Labor Code.

“We reported these infractions to the provincial office of the DOLE but no action has yet been taken. We just asking for what is ours according to law yet SYTIC management has stubbornly resisted recognizing the rights of their employees,” insisted Bayot.

April 10, 2016

Advisory: DOLE mediation today of dispute in Cavite EPZA factory

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 8, 2016

Contact: Dennis Sequena @ 09301803072

DOLE mediation today of dispute in Cavite EPZA factory

WHAT: Mediation meeting called by DOLE between union and management of Korean-owned factory

WHEN: Today, April 8, 2016, 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: NCMB Imus @ MYP GBY Building, Bayan Luma 7, Aguinaldo Highway

DETAILS: The Department of Labor and Employment is convening another mediation meeting today between the union and management of Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC). This is the second after a strike vote last Saturday in which a majority of union members authorized the holding of a work stoppage. The first mediation ended inconclusively.

The SYTIC workers are holding daily protests this week as buildup for the strike. This afternoon SYTIC workers and their supporters will stage a protest march inside the Cavite EPZA.

The SYTIC workers union had filed a notice of strike due to union busting. Twenty SYTIC workers, majority of whom are elected union officers and the rest union members, have been retrenched in a blatant attempt at union busting in the country’s biggest export zone, the Cavite ecozone in the town of Rosario.

The workers have recently formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards.  Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed.

SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that is part of the electronics industry supply chain. SYTIC’s main customers are local subsidiaries of big US multinationals like ON Semiconductor, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated and Cypress.

Daily protests at Cavite EPZA factory as countdown to strike begins

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 6, 2016

Contact: Dennis Sequena @ 09301803072

At Korean-owned factory in Cavite EPZA:

Daily protests as countdown to strike begins

Wednesday-Friday (April 6-8): Workers to hold daily protests from 1:00 p.m. onwards at Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp., Cavite ecozone, Rosario, Cavite

Friday (April 8): Mediation meeting between management and union at NCMB Imus (MYP GBY Building, Bayan Luma 7, Aguinaldo Highway, Cavite)

After a majority of union members authorized the holding of a work stoppage in a strike vote last Saturday, workers of Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC) will hold daily protests this week as buildup. The law provides that the union should wait for seven days after the holding of a strike vote before actually launching a work stoppage.

The SYTIC workers union had filed a notice of strike due to union busting. Twenty SYTIC workers, majority of whom are elected union officers and the rest union members, have been retrenched in a blatant attempt at union busting in the country’s biggest export zone, the Cavite ecozone in the town of Rosario.

The workers have recently formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards.  Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed.

SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that is part of the electronics industry supply chain. SYTIC’s main customers are local subsidiaries of big US multinationals like ON Semiconductor, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated and Cypress.

Advisory: Mediation today b/n union & mgt of Korean-owned Cavite factory in the wake a strike vote

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 5, 2016

Contact: Dennis Sequena @ 09301803072

  After workers say yes in strike vote:

Mediation today between union & management of Korean-owned Cavite factory

WHAT: Mediation meeting called by DOLE between union and management of Korean-owned factory

WHEN: Today, April 5, 2016, 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: NCMB Imus @ MYP GBY Building, Bayan Luma 7, Aguinaldo Highway

DETAILS: The Department of Labor and Employment is convening a mediation meeting today between the union and management of Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC). This in the wake of a strike vote last Saturday in which a majority of union members authorized the holding of a work stoppage.

The SYTIC workers are holding daily protests this week as buildup for the strike. The law provides that the union should wait for seven days after the holding of a strike vote before actually launching a work stoppage.

The SYTIC workers union had filed a notice of strike due to union busting. Twenty SYTIC workers, majority of whom are elected union officers and the rest union members, have been retrenched in a blatant attempt at union busting in the country’s biggest export zone, the Cavite ecozone in the town of Rosario.

The workers have recently formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards.  Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed.

SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that is part of the electronics industry supply chain. SYTIC’s main customers are local subsidiaries of big US multinationals like ON Semiconductor, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Maxim Integrated and Cypress.

Strike vote today at Korean-owned Cavite factory

SYTIC workers in protest against union busting

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 2, 2016

Contact: Dennis Sequena @ 09301803072

WHAT: Workers of Korean-owned factory to hold strike vote

WHEN: Today, April 2, 2016

WHERE: Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp., Cavite ecozone, Rosario, Cavite

DETAILS: After launching a protest yesterday against union busting, mass termination of union officers and members, and violations of labor standards, workers of Seung Yuen Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC) will hold a strike vote today. DOLE representatives will oversee the strike vote. The SYTIC workers union had filed a notice of strike due to union busting.

Twenty two SYTIC workers, majority of whom are elected union officers and the rest union members, have been retrenched in a blatant attempt at union busting in the country’s biggest export zone, the Cavite ecozone in the town of Rosario.

The workers have recently formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards.  Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed.

SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that is part of the electronics industry supply chain. The two biggest customers of SYTIC are ON Semiconductor Philippines Inc. in Carmona, Cavite and Analog Devices General Trias Inc. in the Gateway Business Park in General Trias, Cavite. Both are local subsidiaries of US multinational companies.

Protest vs union busting at Korean-owned Cavite factory

MEDIA ADVISORY

April 1, 2016

Contact: Dennis Sequena @ 09301803072

Protest vs union busting at Korean-owned Cavite factory

WHAT: Protest against union busting at Korean-owned factory

WHEN: Today, April 1, 2016, 11:00 a.m. onwards

WHERE: Seung Yeun Technology Industries Corp., Cavite ecozone, Rosario, Cavite

DETAILS: Twenty two workers of Seung Yuen Technology Industries Corp. (SYTIC), majority of whom are elected union officers and the rest union members, have been retrenched in a blatant attempt at union busting in the country’s biggest export zone, the Cavite ecozone in the town of Rosario. Workers will launch their protest starting at 11:00 a.m., escalate into a lunch break noise barrage and continue for the rest of the day.

The workers have recently formed a union in an effort to address workplace problems including violations of labor standards.  Among the most egregious violations are that part of their wages are not paid in cash but in the form of meals, non-payment of overtime due to an illegal compressed workweek schedule and the lack of a company nurse, doctor and hospital bed.

SYTIC is a Korean-owned plastics company that is part of the electronics industry supply chain. The two biggest customers of SYTIC are ON Semiconductor Philippines Inc. in Carmona, Cavite and Analog Devices General Trias Inc. in the Gateway Business Park in General Trias, Cavite. Both are local subsidiaries of US multinational companies.

Workers rally to decry APEC’s pro-business, anti-labor record

In a multisectoral rally today in Manila, the labor party-list group Partido Manggagawa (PM) decried the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit for its “pro-business, anti-labor record.” Several hundred members of PM and other sectoral groups coalesced under the People’s Forum on APEC marched from UST to Liwasang Bonifacio in this major anti-APEC protest. As of the moment, police have blocked the mobilization in front of the Metropolitan Theater.

Rene Magtubo, PM national chair, stated that “Sacrifices born by commuters, students and workers since Monday in lost time due to heavy traffic and lost pay due to holidays as part of the summit are emblematic of the anti-people essence of capitalist globalization that lies at the heart of APEC. APEC is engaging in double-speak as repression of workers’ rights by its member countries belies its inclusive growth tagline. Inclusive growth in APEC countries is impossible without respect for basic labor rights, including the right to unionize and receive living wages.”

He cited as an example that “When Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye meet at this APEC summit, they surely talk about promoting trade and investments. But we doubt they will even speak about protecting union rights and decent pay for workers of Korean-owned companies in the Philippines. Yet many ongoing industrial disputes involve Korean-owned factories in the Philippines.”

Workers from two Korean-owned companies based in the country who are now embroiled in labor rows are challenging the leaders of the countries on APEC’s track record on workers’ rights. Employees of power company KEPCO-Cebu and metal factory Tae Sung in Cavite have charged their managements with union busting and have pending labor disputes.

According to Charlie Piamonte, union president of Tae Sung Employees Association (TEA), they filed a notice of strike last November 12 for union busting. He explained that Tae Sung illegally fired union officer Joven Niviar, among other incidents of harassment of union members. The union is planning to conduct a strike vote within the next few days. Under the law, a union may launch a strike seven days after a majority of union members authorize it through a vote. Tae Sung is based in the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario, Cavite and produces metal parts for the supply chain of multinational companies like American Power Conversion-Schneider Electric, Honda, Mitsubishi, Caterpillar and Siemens.

Meanwhile, Lowell Sanchez, president of the KEPCO Cebu Supervisors Association (KCSA-WSN-Sentro), challenged the government to resolve the long-running labor row that is now the subject of an assumption of jurisdiction (AJ) order from Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. The KEPCO union filed a notice of strike last June for the unfair dismissal of Sanchez. The planned strike of the KEPCO workers was stopped by an AJ order so that it will not affect the APEC ministers meeting in Cebu last August. KEPCO is South Korea’s state-owned power company and operates coal plants in Cebu and Batangas.

“KEPCO and Tae Sung are crystal clear examples of how APEC has facilitated growth and profit for multinational corporations that operates across borders. And they also fully illustrate how workers have born the sacrifices for the phenomenal economic benefits that corporations have reaped due to APEC. Workers across APEC countries contend with low pay, contractual work and union suppression even as their labor created the doubling of real GDP within APEC between 1989 and 2013,” Magtubo averred.

November 18, 2015

La Tondena workers commemorate 40th anniversary of historic strike

La Tondena workers commemorate 40^th anniversary of historic strike

Amidst concerns from some quarters that the vice presidential candidacy of Sen. Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos, Jr. would pave the way for the return to Malacanang of the former dictator’s family, retired workers of La Tondena Inc., commemorated the 40^th anniversary of the historic first strike under martial law. About a hundred participants to the strike gathered in a basketball court in Tondo, Manila last October 24 to keep up the legacy of the famous workers struggle.

“Beyond renewing the bonds of friendship and camaraderie among La Tondena strikers, we believe the lessons of the first strike under the Marcos dictatorship should be passed on to the new generation. We are dual citizens now, senior citizens aside from being Filipino citizens, but we have to impart to the younger workers the ideals, hopes and traditions of the workers’ movement,” explained Benjie Roxas Jr., a participant to the 1975 strike and present leader of the Tondo chapter of the party-list Partido Manggagawa (PM).

In October 24, 1975, some 800 workers of La Tondena stopped work and held a sit-down strike to demand the regularization of contractuals and the reinstatement of retrenched temporary workers. With the support of the workers’ community around the factory and the solidarity of nuns, priests and seminarians, the strike lasted for 44 hours before being suppressed by the wholesale arrests of hundreds of strikers. But the strike did not end in defeat, as the then owners, the Palancas, conceded to some of the workers’ demands, including the regularization of 300 contractuals.

“But the lasting legacy of the La Tondena strike was to break the terror of martial law and defy the protest ban of the Marcos dictatorship. In the aftermath of the pioneering and victorious La Tondena struggle, a strike wave swept Metro Manila and the militant workers movement was reborn despite massive repression. The EDSA uprising of 1986 built upon mass struggles like the La Tondena strike,” argued Rene Magtubo, PM chair and former president of Fortune Tobacco labor union, which like the La Tondena union was politicized by fighting for workers’ rights under the dictatorship.

La Tondena was eventually bought by the San Miguel conglomerate and the union did not survive the closure of the Tondo factory in 1994. The company was renamed Ginebra San Miguel Inc. in 1987 and today two factories in Cabuyao, Laguna and Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan make most of its products.

In last year’s remembrance of the La Tondena strike, Gerry Rivera, president of the union Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) and PM vice chair, spoke before the retired workers. He recalled that “As I paid my deep respects to the brave La Tondena strikers, I emphasized how strikingly similar their demands and struggles were to the present fight of workers, including ours in PALEA, under the conditions of trapo democracy instead of martial law.”

Arguably the biggest labor dispute for the past several years, PALEA has been opposing contractualization at Philippine Airlines and has garnered the support of the Catholic Church among others. “Protesting PALEA members were forcibly evicted and bodily carried too by armed guards and police from the airport in 2011, just like how La Tondena workers were hauled in Metrocom buses in 1975. We dare to win too like the La Tondena strikers and defeat contractualization eventually,” Rivera ended.

November 3, 2015