Hardware warehouse workers go on strike anew

Workers of a hardware warehouse who held a strike last May 8 launched a strike again this morning, following the company’s violation of the agreement with the workers’ union reinstating workers who were illegally laid off, regularizing contractual workers, and recognizing the workers’ union.

Workers of Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc., which services the country’s top hardwares such as Ace Hardware and top construction companies such as DMCI, have again set up their picketline in Parañaque City.

Citing the termination of its contract with the service agency under which 14 of the newly-regularized workers were employed, Co Ban Kiat has retrenched the workers shortly after the strike was concluded.

“The workers of Co Ban Kiat have every right to strike. Co Ban Kiat is retrenching workers and busting the workers’ union in violation of the agreement sealed between the union and the management as a result of the previous strike,” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general.

“The retrenchment of the 14 newly-regularized workers is not only a violation of the agreement between the management and the union. It is more importantly a bad precedent – which means all previously contractual workers will be retrenched using the same basis,” he added.

“The retrenchment of all newly-regularized workers is no less than union-busting, as the workers constitute a big section of the union’s membership,” he said.

Co Ban Kiat has also been forcing workers to sign an agreement that they will not join a union.

The company is owned by Johnny Cobankiat, who was reported in 2009 to have kept smuggled goods worth P100 million.

“Co Ban Kiat cannot use the termination of its contract with its service agency as a reason to terminate workers. It has signed an agreement with the workers’ union, in which the service agencies play no part,” Soluta said.

“It seems that Co Ban Kiat revels in undertaking illegal activities from smuggling to violation of workers’ rights. After inflicting various injustices to workers for many years, it is now retrenching workers and busting their union, despite the fact that workers have already won reinstatement, regularization, and unionization,” he added.

“We are calling on all workers and the public to support the workers of Co Ban Kiat in their struggle against a greedy capitalist and a violator of workers’ rights. They need all the help we can give,” he said.

FACT SHEET: Iligal na tanggalan at pagdurog sa unyon sa Co Ban Kiat

Noong 03 Mayo, 98 manggagawang kontraktwal at regular, na pawang aktibong miyembro ng Co Ban Kiat Warehouse Workers’ Union (CBKWWU), ang iligal na tinanggal ng Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc.

Ang malawakang tanggalan ay kasabay ng paglabas ng pagkilala ng Department of Labor and Employment sa unyon ng mga manggagawa. Inirehistro ang unyon sa ilalim ng Drug, Food and Allied Services (DFA), isang pederasyon ng KMU.

Dahil dito, inilunsad ang welga ng mga manggagawa noong 08 Mayo. Matapos ang tatlong araw, nagtagumpay ang mga manggagawa: Napwersa ang Co Ban Kiat na pumirma sa kasunduan na nagbabalik sa mga manggagawang tinanggal, nagreregularisa sa mga kontraktwal, at kumikilala sa unyon ng mga manggagawa.

Pero wala pang dalawang linggo matapos itigil ang welga, nagtanggal ang Co Ban Kiat ng 14 na manggagawa sa dahilang tapos na ang kontrata nito sa service agency na dati nilang kinapapalooban.

Hindi lang ito paglabag sa nabuong kasunduan. Masamang precedent ito para sa iba pang manggagawang naging regular. Ibig sabihin, pwede rin silang tanggalin sa trabaho sa parehong batayan. At dahil marami sa mga miyembro ng unyon ay dating kontraktwal, nangangahulugan ang ginagawa ng management ng union busting o pagbuwag sa unyon.

Hindi-makatao ang pagtrato ng Co Ban Kiat sa mga manggagawa. Nagpapatupad ito ng unfair labor practices.Matinding pagsasamantala at pang-aabuso ang dinanas ng mga manggagawa.

>> Karamihan sa mga regular na manggagawa na mahigit 10 taon nang nagtatrabaho sa kumpanya, tumatanggap pa rin ng minimum na sahod.
>> Noong Hunyo 2011, binigyan ang mga manggagawa ng P1.00 dagdag-sahod para lang makaltasan ang sahod nila ng napakalaking buwis.
>> Kalakhan ng mga manggagawa, kontraktwal: 68 ang regular habang 98 ang agency workers. Nagpapatupad ang managementng labor-only contracting o iskemang 5-5-5.
>> Ang ilang regular na manggagawa, basta-basta na lang inililipat sa agency at ginagawang kontraktwal.
>> Ibinibilad sa arawan ang mga manggagawang nakukursunadahan ng bisor at manager. Sirang vacuum cleaner ang lagayan nila ng inuming tubig.

Johnny Cobankiat, may-ari ng Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc.: Malaking kapitalista at ahente ng malalaking kapitalista.

>> 70% ng supply ng ACE Hardware Philippines, Inc. ay galing sa Co Ban Kiat. Siya rin ang presidente ng ACE Hardware, naaffiliate naman ng SM Group of Companies.
>> Presidente ng Coby’s Marketing Corporation, independent director ng Shang Properties, Inc. at Philippine Bank of Communications, Inc., at direktor ng Philippine Hardware Association at R. Nubla Securities, Inc.
>> Marami pa siyang ibang katungkulan at pag-aari sa larangan ng pagbabangko, seguridad, at pabahay.

“Smuggler”: Noong 2009, napabalita si Johnny Cobankiat na nagtatago ng smuggled goods na nagkakahalaga ng P100 milyon.

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Suportahan ang laban ng mga manggagawa ng Co Ban Kiat Hardware!

Ang ating mga panawagan:
- Gawing regular ang mga manggagawang kontraktwal ng Co Ban Kiat!
- Itigil ang pagbuwag sa unyon ng mga manggagawa ng Co Ban Kiat!
- Kilalanin ang karapatang mag-unyon ng mga manggagawa!

- Kontraktwalisasyon, ibasura!
- Makabuluhang dagdag-sahod, ipaglaban!
- Sahod, trabaho at karapatan, ipaglaban!