2001年2月10日ホームページ掲載
| フィリピンの戦闘的労働組合センター、ＫＭＵ（５月１日運動）より、横浜ゴムの現地子会社、ヨコハマ・タイヤ・フィリピンによる組合つぶしの攻撃に関してよせられた
情報 の続報が２月８日付で寄せられました。 翻訳の時間的余裕がないのでとりあえず原文の英語版を掲載します。近日中に日本語に翻訳したいと考えていますが、「労働通信」本誌の編集作業に手をとられておりますので、翻訳のボランティアをやっていただける方がおられると助かります。 |
WORKERS ALLIANCE IN
REGION III (WAR3)
14-13A Marlim Avenue, corner Junior St. Diamond Subd., Balibago,Angeles
City, Pampanga
E-mail Address: wareg3@hotmail.com
Press Statement
February 6, 2001
Workers Not to be Blamed for Labor Unrest inside CSEZ
With reference to the news article of SUN STARPampanga entitled "Exit of
Clark Locators Seen Due to Labor Unrest", written by MinervaS. Zamora
dated February 6, 2001, where members of Foreign IndustrialLocators
Association in Clark or FILAC blamed the workers struggle fortheir basic
rights and welfare to their companies profit losses and eventhreatened to
pull out if the labor unrest caused by Yokohama workers is notimmediately
resolved, WAR3 has this to say:
Capitalists in CSEZ is responsible for thecurrent labor problems, not the
workers inside the economic zone. The workers are but exercisingtheir
constitutional right to form trade unions just so they can fightand
protect their rights to just wages, meaningful benefits, jobsecurity and
humane working conditions among others.
Tragically, this exercise of right is often metby capitalists with iron
hands especially if it is a genuine and a militant trade union.Adding
insult to injury, the Department of Labor and Employment - thegovernment
agency that should help the workers and protect them againstabusive
capitalists - has, based on it's track record, favored morecapitalists
than the workers due primarily to the existing labor laws thatare
appalingly pro-foreign and large capitalists while anti-workers.In like
fashion, the CDC, whose mandate, according to them is to createjobs, grant
numerous incentives and perks to attract foreign and localinvestors while
the workers do not receive the same kind of special treatment asCDC do not
provide effective mechanisms to truly protect the workers rightsand
welfare and has even repeatedly favored the capitalists in"mediating"
labor disputes.
Such is the story of Yokohama Tires Phils. Inc.The company refuses to
recognize the workers rights to organize. They harass activeunion leaders
and members. Armed security guards and surveillance cameras arepart of the
management's scheme to spy on active union leaders and members.The
company implements very stringent and unreasonable Company Rulesand
Regulations. They are oftentimes forced to work overtime, and aregiven
fifteen day suspensions when they come a few minutes late forwork. Their
working condition is unsafe. Skin and lung diseases are normaloccurences
because of overexposure to carbon dust and sulfur. Others acquireback
ailments due to lifting of heavy equipment. Most of the time, theworkers
get dehydrated and skin burned because of the intense heatradiating from
the machines.
These conditions compelled the workers to form aunion which the management
vehemently refuses to recognize. The company has done some reallydirty
tricks to bust the Yokohama Employees Union. The managementmanage to make
DOLE - Reg. III cancel their unions Certificate of Recognition.The
management has used threats of suspensions and dismissal toactive union
officers and members,
intensive surveilance inside and outside the plant on unionleaders,
causing physical harm to one of the active union leaders, and thelist goes
on. The management's union busting schemes further lit up thealready fiery
will of the workers to fight for their union. This resulted tothe workers
filing a notice of strike on January 30 as negotiations andmediations
collapsed because the management maintained its hard-lineposition and
continued to reject the workers demands. Up to now, these workersare still
on strike and shall do so until their demand for unionrecognition is met.
Tens of thousands of workers inside CSEZ agonizeover the same and
frequently worst working conditions, extremely low wages, lack orno
benefits, job insecurity, extreme trade union repression and manyother
forms of oppression, such as in the case of Sampo Tech., KitaCorp., L&T
International and many other factories inside CSEZ. While theseoppressive
conditions exists, the workers will continue with their struggle.
If the Foreign Industrial Locators Association inClark (FILAC) is really
concerned about resolving the current labor unrest in the CSEZand in
order to avoid future labor problems and have , as they say"harmonious
relationship" and "industrial peace", they shouldrecognize the workers'
rights to organize and form unions, give the workers just wages,allot
meaningful benefits, require reasonable working hours, providehumane and
safe working conditions and environment and stopcontractualization scheme
and its spin-offs.
Contact persons : Rolly Ilag
Chairman
: Rochelle Arayata-Aguilar
Prop/ED. Department
0919 585 3008
Latest developments on Yokohama strike:
1.January 30 - a bus-load of Philippine NationalPolice (PNP) contingent
arrived and set up checkpoints near the picketline. During thenight the
policemen who are already drunk stopped a jeepload of youngpeople who
were on their way to the picketline to support the strikers. Theywere
pushed, frisked and hit by the policemen and were not allowed tojoin the
strikers. They also strictly prohibited the strikers to enterthrough the
CSEZ gate.
2.January 31 - a joint force of one busload ofPNP, I truckload of
Regional Special Action Force, 30 CDC police escorted 100 newlyhired
scabs. The policemen did not have any court order to allow scabsto enter.
The strikers followed the free egress ingress rule.
3.February 1 - the Union met with Col. Rosete,chief of the CDC security
and they both agreed that no scabs will be allowed thereafter.
4.February 2 - Col. Rosete did not implement theagreement. He not only
allowed but escorted the scabs to the premises. The strikers didnot
allow them this time. However, they made a hole out of theconcrete fence
at the back of the plant and let the scabs in. That afternoon,Atty. Anne
Dione (DOLE -Central Luzon Director) declared the entry of scabsas illegal
yet they did not let them leave the plant. On the same day therewas a
meeting between the Union and the management at the NationalConciliation
and Mediation Board (NCMB) regarding the demands of the strikersbut the
management insisted that they will file charges against thestrikers who
did not report for work from January 15, which meant they will be
dismissed from work. The management did not also agree for a
certification election.
5.February 3 - up to the present - the strikersare still picketting
while the management continue to bring in scabs by letting themclimb the
concrete fence at the back of the plant, ride in container vans,cars or
buses or pretend to be janitors or helpers of trucking companiesand
security guards. They scabs are all contractual workers andagency-hired
which will takeover the jobs of the regular workers. They werehired
without being told by the management that the workers in Yokohamaare on
strike.
Please send protest letters to the management andsolidarity message to the
strikers.