Celestica agency employees demand same termination pay as regular workers

CEBU, Philippines - Some 50 agency workers of Celestica, the big electronics firm at the Mactan Export Processing Zone I that is due to shut down on August 31, today held a protest to demand termination pay similar to what will be received by regular employees.

Romeo Moritcho Jr., who is the leader of the protesting agency workers, said that many of 300 agency workers employed by Celestica have worked for several years doing the same work as regular employees under the control and direction of the company management.

Moritcho said that by law and jurisprudence they are employees not of their agency, Cebu General Services, but of the principal, Celestica.

“Thus we deserve the same treatment and benefits as regular workers,” Moritcho said.

Partido ng Manggagawa-Cebu spokesman Dennis Derige said that the agency workers did not report for work yesterday and instead started marching at 10 a.m. from Gate 1 to Gate 3 of the MEPZ I and then held a picket until noon.

 Around 1 p.m. they trooped to the office of Cebu General Services along A. S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City, for another picket.

Derige said that the contracts of the agency workers are to be terminated by Celestica today and the Cebu General Services promised to redeploy them to new jobs at Pentax, which however is accepting only workers younger than 28. All the agency workers are above 30 years old.

Derige said that the agency workers are insisting that they receive the separation pay of 45 days per year of service, which is being given to regular Celestica workers.

He added that the agency workers submitted a petition to the Celestica management Thursday last week about their demands but the latter reportedly did not respond, thus precipitating the protest yesterday.

Derige is likewise appealing to Celestica to abide by its own “corporate social responsibility” and the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP   (THE FREEMAN)