Layoffs hit nutrition giant's Canlubang plant
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:14 p.m.) — Around 140 workers at the Wyeth Nutrition Canlubang factory in Laguna were being let go to cut company costs, the union said Thursday as talks with management were ongoing.
A member of the union who was at the site told Philstar.com in a phone interview that there had been talk since March about looming layoffs to lower costs, but that management did not heed requests for dialogue.
Wyeth Philippines Progressive Workers Union president Debie Faigmani confirmed the layoffs to media, saying 10 union officers were among the workers affected. Faigmani was also laid off.
The union member who talked to Philstar.com said the jobs of 125 rank-and-file workers, 14 supervisors and a manager were on the chopping block.
An alert on the Wyeth Philippines Progressive Workers Union Facebook page Thursday morning reported that workers were not being allowed into the plant. A follow-up post said layoffs were already happening.
"Despite workers' sacrifice to contribute to production and to large profits, we are rewarded with job losses," the union, which this week won a labor case for the regularization of 30 workers laid off in 2014, condemned the fresh round of job cuts.
READ: Unemployment rate down, job quality improved in March
Layoff worries since March
The union member, who deferred official comment to WPPWU officers, said management did not give details of the impending layoffs in informal talks. The worker said they had been told to be ready for when the job cuts would happen.
In a statement on Wednesday, the union said tworkers were worried of impending layoffs because of "cost-saving projects, automation and the consolidation of production lines" at the factory.
"While talk of layoffs has been going around, there have been sudden changes like putting up tarpaulins around the factory, the removal of parking areas and changes in workshifts that will affect workers' take-home pay," it also said in Filipino, stressing that management had been silent about workers' concerns.
The company is reportedly offering severance packages of up to 250% the monthly rate for every year of service for workers who have been in service for more than 20 years. Those who have been with the company for a shorter period will get from 150%-200% of the monthly rate per year of service depending on tenure.
The union has yet to decide its next steps.
Wyeth Philippines Inc. has acknowledged Philstar.com's request for comment and said its Corporate Communications team would respond.
According to government figures, unemployment in the Philippines fell in March, while the quality of jobs improved as the labor market tried to recover amid a reopened economy.
Results of a nationwide survey of 11,093 households showed there were 2.42 million Filipinos who were either jobless or out of business in March, lower than 2.47 million unemployed persons recorded in February, the Philippine Statistics Authority said earleir this month.
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