Dolefil employees protest management’s bad faith and unfair labor practices in their CBA negotiations

Plantation and cannery workers at Dole Philippines (Dolefil) in South Cotabato are demanding that management be fair and sincere in their collective bargaining negotiations.

In simultaneous protest actions held in front of the Dole office in Makati and at the Dole plant in Polomolok, South Cotabato, members of National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (NAFLU-KMU) and the South Cotabato-based union Asosasyon ng mga Mamumuo sa Dolefil Alang sa Kalingkawasan ng Demokrasya sa Nasud (Amado Kadena) bared how the Dolefil management appears bent on negotiating in bad faith and committing unfair labor practices (ULP).

The protesters said that for much of their eight scheduled negotiations with the management, so far Dolefil has not sincerely been bargaining. Instead, the management is only trying to coerce the union to slash its own CBA demands.

“Even as the union has acceded to the management’s desire to focus only on 16 talking points, Dolefil is now backtracking on these points and has even refused to negotiate on schedule,” said NAFLU-KMU secretary general Tony Pascual.

Amado Kadena is a member of NAFLU-KMU.

The union said the management has also started to take away even those benefits which they have both agreed upon in previous CBA’s. These include paid short breaks and individual break time, as well as workers’ rice allowance. “It’s not as if the management can’t afford to stick to their agreement with the union – Dolefil is steadily making profits as the workers’ productivity keeps improving,” said NAFLU-KMU secretary general Tony Pascual.