Phils. Jeon fact sheet as of Nov. 10

[WAC RDP]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: WAC RDP
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:44:50 -0800
Subject: Phils. Jeon fact sheet as of Nov. 10
To: "WAC Archives" <wac-ar...@googlegroups.com>

Phils Jeon Garments, Inc. (PJGI)
(As of November 10, 2006)

On September 25, the union officially declared a strike at 6am due to
their company's continued refusal to begin negotiation for their
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The DOLE on November 19, 2005
had already issued a final and executory decision proclaiming the
workers' union, KMPJI-Ind., as legitimate bargaining representative.
No negotiations, however, commenced since as a result of the
management's filing of repeated appeals in courts.

After the workers formally declared a strike, the management threatened
to declare union members joining the strike for AWOL (absence without
leave).

On September 27, at around 8:30p.m. about 50 combined elements of the
PEZA police and Jantro security guards forcibly broke into the
worker's picket line and violently dispersed them. About 84
workers--most of them are women--were busy preparing dinner when they
were violently attacked. It was PEZA police chief Jose Sarasua and
Chief Inspector Audie Madrideo of the Rosario Municipal Police Station
who heads the team. Twenty-five striking workers suffered head and body
injuries.

Three of the injured victims, namely Agustina Haya, Jimmy Eder, and
union vice president Ricardo Cajanap, suffered several stitches on
their heads and forehead, respectively. Annalyn Diaz, a pregnant
striker, had a miscarriage too after a certain Sampayan of PEZA police
chased her. Eder, an organiser for labor alliance Solidarity of Cavite
Workers (SCW), had his upper lips ruptured. Eder is an adviser of the
union. He was there to serve as one of the union panel that would help
negotiate peacefully in case PEZA security forces threaten to break the
picket line.

According to the PJGI striking workers, Chief Inspector Madrideo and
PEZA police chief Sarasua could be drunk and could have probably taken
prohibited drugs because of their unusual movement.

"They have no mercy. They are beast! Even those strikers that already
fell down are still being beaten profusely with clubs and shields. PEZA
police and guards prevented the passing vehicles to carry our injured
to the hospital. We had to force our way out of the picket line as the
PEZA police and guards blocked our way. Had we not been able to force
our way out, our injured colleagues would have not been able to seek
immediate medical attention at the hospital." This was the
description of the PJGI strikers on that violent night of September 27.
The other victims too suffered bruises and injuries all over their
bodies. One had one of her fingers broken. Most of the victims are
female.

Instead of helping the injured victims, the police and guards refused
to ferry them to the hospital. The victims had to force their way out
of the picket line as the PEZA police and guards blocked their way. Had
the workers not been able to force their way out, they would have not
been able to seek medical attention at Savior Hospital in Rosario,
Cavite.

The PJGI striking workers completely denied that they were armed of any
bladed or pointed weapons at that time. The injuries that Jantro
security guards alleged were maybe the same injuries they sustained
from their cohorts during the September 25 assault at the CWFI
strikers.

It is reported that PEZA police Chief Jose Sarasua gave orders to
violently disperse the striking workers following request by the
management for them to do so. The assault took place despite a status
quo. Both the management and workers on strike have already agreed to
hold a dialogue on September 28, to resolve the labor conflict
peacefully at the office of Cavite Export Processing Zone (CEPZ).
However, the strikers were attacked a day before the dialogue is held.
The dialogue did not pushed through as it was overtaken by the violent
dispersal.

The union members condemned such actions by the PEZA police and Jantro
security guards, in particular PEZA director general lawyer Lilia de
Lima for allegedly giving indirect orders to violently disperse the
strikers and for tolerating violent actions of their men in the field.
She also failed prevent and refrain her men from attacking the
strikers.

Contrary to reports by PEZA, no WAC organizers at the PJGI on September
27. Jimmy Eder is a SCW organizer and an adviser of the union. He was
there to serve as one of the union panel that would help negotiate
peacefully in case PEZA security forces threaten to break the picket
line. Eder strongly denied he stabbed one of the guards. This was the
obvious reason why no arrest was made. PEZA police could have arrested
Eder if indeed he stabbed one of the guards because he had fallen
almost unconsciously when clubbed in the head.

On September 28, eight workers supportive of the workers on strike were
illegally arrested and charged for trespassing while inside a warehouse
inside the economic zone. Seven of them are former employers of the SP
Ventures Corporation. They were Gemma Lape, Lorna Reli, Ivy Villasan,
Analou Estrimos, Glaysa Layesi, Josephine Bahar, Pablito Sapata and
Rodelito Amo. Armed without any arrest or search warrants, the PEZA
police and Jantro security guards arrested them and subsequently
briefly detained.

They admitted they had in their possessions several screw drivers, but
the only bladed instruments were one scissor, and one paper cutter. The
screwdrivers according to the workers were used in removing electric
lighting fixture in their closed company. The gate Passes,
Identification Cards, signed identification pictures of various
individuals, and so forth are garbage left in their closed companies.
They should have thrown it to the garbage can but were instructed by
Cavite-PEZA industrial relations officer Arnold Cruz to keep it in
their custody and he will get it later.

They have to guard the remaining assets of SP Ventures because the
payment for unpaid wages and separation pays of 92 workers/complainants
would come from these properties. They do not completely trust PEZA to
safeguard these equipment and machines because they knew of one case in
the past that equipment and machineries entrusted by workers of a
closed Korean sweatshop to PEZA vanished without a trace despite tight
guarding at the EPZ gate.

The Rosario Municipal Police Station (RMPS) in Rosario, Cavite through
the instigation of PEZA filed a complaint of inciting to sedition
against the arrested workers. However, the Assistant Provincial
Prosecutor Carlos Catubao was not convinced on the evidence presented
in the complaint, thus it was not admitted. A charge of trespassing is
laid against them in court.

The PEZA police and Jantro guards arrested them over allegations they
are facilitating storage of supply of food to workers on strike nearby.
They were detained for six days. Contrary to PEZA's claim the eight
workers are not intruders. They are known to the PEZA police, Jantro
guards, and even by Atty. Arada and their stay at the Kohzan Warehouse
was with the approval of PEZA. The arrested workers were there for
several months already prior to their arrest.

In another development, the so-called "Caretaker Committee" set up
in CWFI and PGJI have no legal standing in the on-going labor disputes.
Both committees cannot represent the members of the striking union
because their compositions are made up of management personnel and
non-union members. Contractual workers and non-union members have no
right to impeach any of the union officers because they are not union
members.

The "Caretaker Committees" and the CWFI and PGJI managements are
the same. It was named "Caretaker Committee" to confuse the
non-strikers and make them believe that they have already taken over
the position of the elected union officers because the latter had
already been terminated. Contractual workers and scabs are being
deceived of a regular status inside the company in exchange of their
support to the management-created and PEZA-instigated "Caretaker
Committee."

The PEZA's order of food and water blockade continues, and this is
now being applied not only to the striking workers of CWFI but also in
PGJI. Checkpoints to prevent the workers from entering their strike
area also continue. To reiterate here again, all the agreed terms in
the September 27 dialogue are continuously being violated by PEZA and
CWFI management, applying the same force now to the striking workers of
PGJI.

On October 4 at 7pm, Municipal Trial Court (MTC) in Rosario, Cavite,
Judge Rita Quizon ordered the release of eight workers without bail.
But the Judge required them they to appear for their first hearing
schedule on January 15, 2007.

On October 5, 2006 - a fact-finding team has been conducted to look
into the case of illegal arrest and detention of the eight
supporters/workers of the strike; food blockade; blacklisting of the
strikers and confiscation of their IDs and zone passes, and violent
dispersal of the workers' picket line in Chong Won and Phils Jeon on
September 27, 2006.

They only allowed the entry of a staff of Senator Jamby Madrigal and
those from Center for Trade Union Union Human Rights (CTUHR) and
National Coalition fro the Protection of Workers Rights (NCPWR) riding
a van. As a result of this FFM, Peza returned all the confiscated items
on October 6, from the eight workers who were arrested (one sack of
rice and mobile phones) but they did return the cameras they have
confiscated.

Since October 17, the workers has started receiving subpoenas informing
them that they are being sued for slight physical injuries by PEZA
policemen and Jantro security guards in connection with the September
25 and 27 incidents. The hearing was set on October 25, 2006 for
preliminary conference at the Rosario Municipal Trial Court. A total of
seventeen workers were charged, ten of whom were Phils. Jeon union
members namely Merly Grafe, Normelita Galon, Akona Octavo, Gemma
Garabato, Ricardo Cahanap, Cynthia Red, Cecille Sabela, Rosebie
Remorin, Colleen Muyot, Bessie Hernandez and Jimmy Eder, an organizer
for Solidarity of Cavite Workers.

October 19, simultaneous to the Chong Won incident, and using the same
scheme, was the assault and demolition also of the strikers'
makeshift tents at PJGI. PEZA and PJGI management used 180 workers as a
show of force and escorted by 25 PEZA police, Jantro guards, and
municipal police. Not like in CWFI, the twenty-man assaulting and
demolition team was headed by no less than Mr. Dong Gon Kim, the Korean
plant manager of PGJI 20 strikers were stationed at the time in the
strike area. After they have dismantled the picket line (makeshift
tents) the striker no longer have any "roof" or tent to protect them
from the heat of the sun, rain, or the dew during nighttime and dawn
time. They also do not have temporary comfort rooms. This condition was
very difficult and uncomfortable for the workers on strike.

Unfortunately for DG de Lima again, her hatchet woman, Atty. Jane
Arada, was named by PGJI company guards' officer-in-charge Iniego
Pingal as the one who ordered the assault and demolition of the
strikers at PGJI.

It is reported that it was the management of Phils Jeons and Jantro
security guards dismantles their picket line. They have likewise placed
two checkpoints in between Phils Jeon, similar to what they did to
Chong Won strikers. Only those who are inside can maintain the picket
line but they also face the same difficulties like Chong won workers,
no roof, no comfort room, and no food and water.

On October 27, charges of unintentional abortion, grave coercion,
slight physical injuries and less serious physical injuries were filed
before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Imus, Cavite against
the PEZA officials and their security force, the Rosario Municipal
Police Station in connection with the September 27 violent dispersal.

Prepared by:

Research and Documentation Program
Workers' Assistance Center, Inc. (WAC)
Rosario, Cavite