Garment factory workers stage sit-down strike

CEBU, Philippines - More than a hundred workers of the Alta Mode garments factory at the Mactan Export Processing Zone started a sit-down protest the other day against the forced leave implemented by management that allegedly discriminates union members.”

Renante Pelino, union president of Alta Mode Workers Union, said that the forced leave was “timed for the certification election” which, according to him, “constitutes unfair labor practice and discrimination to discourage union membership.”

Pelino said that AMWU demands include rotation among workers so they can share the supposedly reduced workload, financial assistance for those workers who still cannot be absorbed through rotation, and definite cut-off date to the forced leave and reduced workdays.

The union filed yesterday a notice of strike on the basis of union busting and unfair labor practice.

AMWU argues that the forced leave “discriminates against the union” since practically all of the more than 100 workers affected were union members.

Pelino said that during the certification election, 107 voted for ‘yes’ to union, 88 voted for ‘no union’ while one was declared a spoiled ballot.

He added that another 27 ballots are being challenged by AMWU since these were cast by supervisory employees, line leaders and contractual workers who, the union alleged, are not part of the bargaining unit.

Pelino further said that their sit-down action is a peaceful protest with the aim of obliging management to sincerely face the workers’ grievances.

Prior to the sit-down strike, a dialogue between the union representative and the management was conducted with the officials of the export zone administration, but Pelino said that the management could not answer yet the workers’ demands as the company owners were in Manila