Laid-off workers’ coop eyeing overseas clients

CEBU, Philippines - The noticeable improvement of demand for export products has prompted a sub-contractor cooperative to explore other clientele aside from supplying a lone export company.

The Tabok Allied Workers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TAWMC) is now tapping initially the domestic market, and is actively wooing other overseas wholesale buyers, to expand its production base, riding on the onset of furniture export recovery, said cooperative's chairman Ramon Calbo.

The 60 founding members of TAWMC used to work for Pacific Traders & Manufacturing Company who got laid off back in 2008 due to the global export slump.

Their former employer, however, was instrumental in their current success as it helped the laid-off workers to create a cooperative that will produce products based on orders.

After the 60 employees lost their regular jobs from Pacific Traders because of the slowdown of furniture export demand, each contributed P1,000 to register a cooperative, in order to continue their livelihood.

With borrowed machine and other equipment from their former employer, the retrenched workers are now their own bosses and managing their own export business and able to expand the cooperative's capability in growing the business and employing over 300 workers.

Since its establishment in 2009, the TAWMC has been supplying products to the members' former employer Pacific Traders & Manufacturing Company.

According to Calbo, as the cooperative is now able to produce more furniture pieces–mostly made of rattan, wood and aluminum materials, it is now confident to tap more clientele, aside from an exclusive sub-contractor.

"Orders now are more frequent, and increasing, both for export and local customers," said Calbo.

In fact, TAWMC is now starting to penetrate the expanding number of condominium units and hotel facilities, demanding for export quality furniture and home accents.— Ehda M. Dagooc (FREEMAN)