DOLE called to look into work conditions at Negros Oriental bottle sorting facility
MANILA, Philippines — Labor leader Leody de Guzman is calling on the Department of Labor and Employment to act on reports of labor conditions of workers in the Tanduay Bottle Sorting Facility in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, where a picket was dispersed by security.
The labor leader and former presidential candidate took to Twitter on Sunday to condemn the violent dispersal of the Tanduay Bottle Sorters Organization’s (TanSO-SUPER) picket line amid a protest held last week.
Some of those who participated in the strike reportedly sustained minor injuries.
“Malinaw na ang welga sa Tanduay ay dinulot ng patuloy na pag-iral ng manpower agencies at labis na kasakiman sa tubo ng mga kapitalistang ganid,” de Guzman said.
(It is clear that the strike in Tanduay was due to the existence of manpower agencies and too much greed for profit by capitalists.)
“Nanawagan ako sa DOLE na mamagitan at positibong tugunan ang mga makatarungang kahilingan ng mga empleyado ng Tanduay.”
(I am calling on the DOLE to intervene and positively address the fair demands of the Tanduay employees.)
According to the AlterMidya, TanSO-SUPER members had been holding their picket line for over a week after manpower agency Talisay Logistics Packaging Corp. (TLPC) announced fewer working days for them.
TW: VIOLENCE
— AlterMidya (@altermidya) June 24, 2022
Marahas na dinisperse ng security personnel ng Talisay Logistics Packaging Corporation (TLPC) ang mga naka-piket na manggagawa ng Tanduay at kanilang mga taga-suporta sa Talisay City, Negros Occidental. pic.twitter.com/vYybwimuEY
This means that the workers will earn less. Workers in the facility are under contractual employment, so on top of their small wages, they also do not have access to workers’ benefits.
Contractualization of workers remains a key labor issue in the country. While then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte promised to put an end to labor-only contracting in 2016, Duterte ended up vetoing the proposed "Security of Tenure" bill.
READ: Duterte defends decision to veto 'end endo' bill
TanSO-SUPER is asking Tanduay regularize its employees and rehire those who were removed, provide humane working conditions inside their factory, as well as as remove the manpower agencies.
Anakbayan Laguna said TanSO-SUPER members had been trying to negotiate with the company, but members of the management had not shown up at any of their negotiation meetings.
Alam ng lahat ng manggagawa sa buong bansa na hindi hahantong sa anumang work stoppage kung hindi ganun katindi ang pagmamaltrato at pagsasamantala ang kanilang nararanasan sa loob ng kumpanya.
— Ka Leody de Guzman (@LeodyManggagawa) June 26, 2022
“Alam ng lahat ng manggagawa sa buong bansa na hindi hahantong sa anumang work stoppage kung hindi ganun katindi ang pagmamaltrato at pagsasamantala ang kanilang nararanasan sa loob ng kumpanya,” de Guzman said.
(Workers from across the country know that it will not end up in work stoppage if they don’t experience maltreatment and exploitation in the companies they work for.)
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