[WAC appeal] Send protest letters, sign-up petition for workers on strike
Workers' Assistance Center
October 6, 2006
Dear friends,
Our warmest greetings!
The Workers Assistance Center, Inc, (WAC) is requesting for your prompt
solidarity action in sending out protest letters regarding the on-going
strike and rampant workers rights violations in two unions namely -
Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa Chong Won (NMCW) and Kaisahan ng mga
Manggagawa sa Phils Jeon, Inc. (KMPJI) at the Cavite Export Processing
Zone (CEPZ) in Rosario, Cavite.
We are also requesting you to send protest letters to the respective
Philippine embassies and consular offices in your countries as well as
Korean embassies and consular offices asking them to implement
corrective measures on the attitude and behavior of the Korean foreign
investors abroad.
You can also sign to our online petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/wac925/petition.html
Below is a sample protest letter that you can use and the
joint-statement of the two unions regarding their on-going struggle.
Thank you...
-----------------------------------------------------
Sample Protest Letter
02 October 2006
ATTY. LILIA B. DE LIMA
Director-General
Philippine Economic Zone Authority
(PEZA), San Luis St. Cor. Roxas Blvd.
Pasay City
Tel: (+63 2) 551-34-54/551-34-55
Fax: (+63 2) 891-63-80, 891-64-44,
891-63-82
Email: dg...@peza.gov.ph
Dear Director De Lima:
We have written to lodge a strong protest and condemnation for the
blatant violations committed by your office on the rights of the
striking workers at Chong Won Fashion, Inc. (CWFI) and Phils Jeon
Garments Inc. (PJI) both located in the Cavite Export Processing Zone
(CEPZ), Rosario, Cavite under your administration and command
responsibility.
According to the striking workers, as reported to the Workers
Assistance Center, Inc. (WAC), your office had ordered the violent
attack on the peaceful strike on September 25 and 27 where more than 40
strikers mostly women sustained head injuries, bruises, and contusions
from clubbing. It was reported also that women strikers were assaulted
on their private parts by Peza policemen and Jantro security forces to
further humiliate them.
Your Office ordered an inhumane food blockade since September 25 to
starve the strikers at the CWFI to force them to abandon their strike.
The food blockade had caused the arrest and detention of eight workers
when they were caught by your police force keeping one sack of rice and
other personal belongings for the strikers. The eight workers were now
falsely charged with trespassing.
As reported by WAC, the eight workers were from SP Ventures Corporation
who had been allowed by PEZA to guard the equipment and machineries in
a warehouse inside the Cavite Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) after their
Korean-employer shutdown their company in May 2006 and filed insolvency
case in the court. While waiting for the resolution of the insolvency
proceedings, the presence of the eight workers inside the Cavite Export
Processing Zone has been in full knowledge and approval of PEZA since
May.
Your Office ordered the confiscation of company identification cards
and CEPZ's zone pass of all the strikers of CWFI and posted the names
of the strikers to ban them from entering the CEPZ, virtually reducing
their strength in numbers and make the remaining strikers defenseless
in their picket line.
While striking workers were not allowed to enter the CEPZ, your police
force is under strict instruction from your office to escort and allow
scabs to enter the struck companies. This is a total discrimination in
the blatant sense. And we learned that hiring scabs during strike is
illegal in your law.
In a violent attack of the striking workers at PJGI on the night of
September 27, the workers reported that PEZA police force headed by a
certain Surasua were all drunk. They also suspected that several of
their attackers were under the influence of prohibited drugs because of
their abnormal behavior.
The ill treatment being received by the striking workers from your
office is quite alarming. The use of brute force, threat and
intimidation, in resolving the labor-management conflict in favor of
the struck companies is highly condemnable to a country claiming to
have subscribed to democratic ideals and principles.
We valued much the contribution of the workers in the development of
the society. We believed that their rights shall at all times be
protected and upheld by the government.
As a human rights/workers' rights organization/institution, we are
with the striking workers in urging your office in their demands to
stop:
1. The use of brute force and shameful connivance of PEZA with the
Korean owners of CWFI and PJGI in denying the full exercise of the
workers' rights to strike and to bargain collectively;
2. The inhumane food blockade and PEZA should allow free entry of food
supplies to the strikers' picket line;
3. The denial of entry of the strikers through checkpoints,
confiscation of company identification cards (IDs) and CEPZ's zone
pass, and blacklisting in order to reduce the strength in numbers of
the strikers;
4. The supplying and escorting of scabs inside the factories to replace
the strikers and run the operations of the struck companies; and
5. The illegal subcontracting of the Wal-mart order in CWFI to
Jeshurun Fashion Intl. Corp. also in CEPZ;
Also, we urge the following:
6. Drop all fabricated charges and unconditionally release the eight
workers, namely: Gemma Lape, Ivy Villasan, Lorna Reli, Josephine Bajar,
Pablito Zapanta, Annalou Estremos, Rodel Amo, and Glaiza Leysi.
7. Bring the Korean owners of the CWFI and PJI face-to-face with the
workers in the negotiating table;
8. Return the illegally-confiscated or stolen personal materials such
as one sack of rice, cell phones, and camera to the workers;
9. Make appropriate actions against PEZA personnel Atty. Jane Arada for
her conduct unbecoming of an officer or for her bad manners and wrong
conduct towards the strikers;
10. And, subject the PEZA Police force and Jantro guards to drug
testing.
We are hoping that your office will safeguard the rights of the workers
and will take the necessary and prompt action regarding the matters we
have raised here. Please update us regarding the actions you have so
far taken regarding this case. Thank you very much!
Sincerely yours,
xxx
cc:
H. E. GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace, JP Laurel St.,
San Miguel, Manila, NCR 1005
Tel: (+63 2) 735-8005
Fax: (+63 2) 736-1010
Email: cor...@op.gov.ph
ARTURO BRION
Secretary
Department of Labor and Employment
Executive Bldg., San Jose St.,
Intramuros, Manila
Fax: 527-2121, 527-2131, 527-5523, 527-34-94
Email: os...@dole.gov.ph
RAJAN KAMALANATHAN
Director of Compliance, Global Procurement
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
702 Southwest 8th St.
Bentonville, AR 72716-0830
Fax: (479) 277-1799
Rajan.Kam...@wal-mart.com
MARIE DAVID
WALMART
marie...@wal-mart.com.
GUY D. BRADFORD
American Eagle Outfitters
Alb...@AE.com
DEANNA ROBINSON
Senior Director, Global Compliance
Email:Deanna_...@gap.com
MR. YANG SON CHOI
President
Phils. Jeon Garments, Inc.
Cavite Export Processing Zone (CEPZ),
Rosario, Cavite, Philippines
Fax: (+63 46) 437-28-13
MR. YONG RYUL KIM
President
Chong Won Fashion, Inc. (CWFI)
Cavite Export Processing Zone (CEPZ)
Rosario, Cavite, PHILIPPINES
Tel. No.: (+63 46) 437 0316 to 19/ Direct line (+63 46) 437-07-58
Email: yrki...@info.com.ph
Fax: (+63 46) 437-03-14
HON. PURIFICACION C. QUISUMBING
Commissioner,
Commission on Human Rights (CHR)
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Ave.,
UP Complex, Diliman QC, Philippines
Tel: (+63 2) 928-56-55/926-61-88/929-0102
Fax: (+63 2) 929-01-02
Email: dr...@yahoo.com or dr...@chr.gov.ph
HON. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA
5th flr., Rm. 526 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Trunk Lines: (632) 552-6601 to 80 loc. 5539 - 41 / 5583 / 2470
Direct Lines: (632) 552-6685 - 86
Email: senjingg...@senate.gov.ph
HON. AQUILINO Q. PIMENTEL, JR.
Rm. 601 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Trunk Lines: (632) 552-6601 to 80 loc. 6502 - 05
Direct Line: (632) 552-6745 or 33 / (632) 551-6861
Fax No.: (632) 552-6713
Email: a...@pldtdsl.net
HON. JAMBY MADRIGAL
5th flr., Rm. 510 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Trunk Lines: (632) 552-6601 to 80 loc. 5565 - 66 / 5591
Direct Lines: (632) 552-6687 / (632) 552-6703
Email: m...@senate.gov.ph
HON. RAMON "BONG" REVILLA, JR.
5th flr., Rm. 526 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Trunk Lines: (632) 552-6601 to 80 loc. 5577 / 5521 - 23
Fax No.: (632) 552-6698
Email: senbong...@senate.gov.ph
HON. RAFAEL MARIANO
Rm. S-615, House of Representatives, Quezon City
Phone: 931-5001 local 7314, 9316397
HON. LIZA MAZA
S-309, House of Representatives, Quezon City
Phone: 931-5001 local 7230, 9316268
HON. CRISPIN B. BELTRAN
Rm. S-602, House of Representatives, Quezon City
Phone: 931-5001 local 7300, 9316615
UNIONS' JOINT STATEMENT
Our Government is Not With Us,
Because Our Rights Are Being Trampled
We, the striking workers from Chong Won Fashion, Inc. (CWFI) and
Philippines Jeon Garments, Inc. (PJI) at the Cavite Export Processing
Zone condemn to the strongest possible term the violence and the injury
inflicted on us by the police and security forces of the Philippine
Economic Zone Authority. September 25 and 27 were the days we learned
our painful lesson - that violence and repression is indeed a state
policy!
We condemn PEZA Director General Lilia de Lima for her infamous
unwritten order of food blockade, use of violent and superior force,
and her blatant disregard of our rights to strike and to bargain
collectively. Her office is hostile and an affront to the rights of the
workers.
De Lima's order of food blockade has caused the
arrest and detention and of filing of fabricated charges of trespassing
and inciting to sedition to eight (8) members of the Solidarity of
Cavite Workers (SCW) who were caught secretly-storing the food
supplies of the striking workers at CWFI.
Our government and its law is not with us. We follow the rule of law,
yet our rights are being trampled and our bodies are being assaulted
violently. Our Korean companies arrogantly-mocked our law, yet they are
not being clubbed to suffer head and body injuries but rather enjoy
full protection and relentless favor from the government.
We were on strike since September 25. We resorted to this kind of
action, as a last recourse, because our companies continue to refuse to
bargain with us collectively, but it was only after more than a year of
waiting hopelessly. We have sought redress to the Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE), and like PEZA, it is inutile in upholding our
rights and more than inutile because it can not impose its own order
against our erring companies.
We deserved respect and equal protection from the law. We are already
being burdened by the government of its corruption and lack of social
services, of its very insulting minimum wage, and of the sky rocketing
prices of basic commodities and services. And to deny us of our rights
that could hopefully temporarily-alleviate us from the
government-imposed economic hardships would be a fatal blow to our
dignity.
We demand from Director General Lilia de Lima to immediately stop the
following:
1. The use of brute force and shameful connivance of PEZA with the
Korean owners of CWFI and PJI in denying us of our rights to strike and
to bargain collectively;
2. The Inhumane food blockade which is only being done by the military
in its operations against the rebels by allowing free entry of food
supplies to the strikers' picket line;
3. The denial of entry of the strikers through checkpoints,
confiscation of company IDs and Zone Pass, and blacklisting in order to
reduce the strength in numbers of the strikers;
4. The supplying and escorting of scabs inside the factories to replace
the strikers and run the operations of the production lines;
5. The illegal subcontracting of the Wal-mart order in CWFI to Jeshurun
Fashion Intl. Corp. also in CEPZ, Rosario, Cavite;
Also, we urge the following to:
6. Drop all fabricated charges and unconditionally-release the eight
workers, namely: Gemma Lape, Ivy Villasan, Lorna Reli, Josephine Bajar,
Pablito Zapanta, Annalou Estremos, Rodel Amo, and Glaiza Leysi.
7. Bring the Korean owners of the CWFI and PJI face-to-face with the
workers in the negotiating table;
8. Return the illegally-confiscated or robbed personal materials such
as one sack of rice, cell phones, and camera;
9. Make appropriate actions against Atty. Jane Arada for her conduct
unbecoming of an officer of PEZA or for her bad manners and wrong
conduct towards the strikers; and
10. Subject the PEZA Police force and Jantro guards to drug testing.
RESURRECCION RAVELO (sgd)
Union President
Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa mga Manggagawa
Chong Won Inc.(NMCW)
NORMELITA GALON (sgd)
Union President
Kaisahan ng sa Phils. Jeon Inc. (KMPJI)