Women workers decry years of sexual harassment, union busting
After fourteen years of silent terror, around 200 women workers at the Bleustar Manufacturing and Marketing Corporation (BMMC) – a manufacturer of Advan branded footwear – found courage to make public the harrowing experiences they suffered from their Filipino-Chinese employer, Jimmy Ong.
In an interview with the CTUHR, workers narrated how Mr. Ong started sexually harassing some of them since 1993. Mr. Ong, often arriving at the workplace drunk and seemingly out of his mind, approached the female workers, who at the time were between 17-22 years old, and started touching their breasts, genitals, and butt. He also forcibly kisses them on the lips, asks them to sit on his lap, while showing off his manhood. He also invites the women workers to indecent activities with his male buddies. The workers cannot do anything, but shiver in horror and fear of getting dismissed.
The women workers, who requested anonymity, added that their employment in BMMC was their first job, and the only thing they can think of is to stay in the job. They said they were so young and naïve, and did not find any courage to complain.
Some of them have developed serious trauma. Violeta (not her real name), a sewer in the company for 18 years, said that since the indecent proposal made to her at the burial of his boss' mother in 1993, she has developed fear and quickly hid under tables or behind cabinets whenever she sees her boss to avoid being harassed.
Girlie (not her real name), also a sewer in the company, noted that there were occasions when they already reported the incident to their supervisors and manager. However, their supervisors, fully aware of Mr. Ong's abusive sexual behavior, simply apologized and advised them to just keep quiet. They reasoned that Mr. Ong was just drunk – and almost always drunk — and flatly told them: Ihilamos o iligo mo lang 'yan, tanggal yan! (Just wash your face or take a bath, you'll feel better again!).
"This is a most deplorable and outrageous work condition where women workers are forcibly subjected into," said Daisy Arago, CTUHR Executive Director. "Employers preying on young, docile workers deserves the strongest condemnation.
"Under the law, this is punishable only by one to six months of imprisonment as provided in the RA7877 (Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995), or P20,000 fine. This should also serve as a wake-up call to lawmakers and government to conduct serious inspection in all firms in the country," she added.
When asked why it took them 14 years to make this known, the workers replied that they had tolerated these traumatic and degrading experiences for long years due to lack of choice. "Work for BMMC is our first job, and we grew older in that company thinking that there is no other job outside of Bleustar. Some of our colleagues have resigned to accepting these sexual advances as part of their job.
"We did not know anyone we can approach. We did not know any law until late 2006, when we met a union organizer," Violeta explained to CTUHR in Filipino.
According to Girlie, these experiences prompted them to organize a union as a protection from their boss' sexual harassments and abuses.
Moreover, they see the union as a way to fight for the improvement of their economic conditions. She noted that whilst there were reports that supervisors were paid hefty sums of money, they are still paid the minimum wage (P382/day) after 18 years of service, with only a P2 seniority pay given every three years.
Bleustar Workers Labor Union (BWLU-Independent) representing 205 rank-and-file employees was registered on October 2, 2007 and now awaits for the Certification Election (CE) scheduled on July 25, 2008. CE is where rank-and-file workers will vote for BWLU or No Union for the official recognition of the union.
"The management doesn't want us to form a union. In the past, some union officers were coerced by the management to resign, and BWLU is our fourth attempt to unionize," Girlie said. "Since the management learned of our organizing, Mr. Ong's sexual advances came infrequently. It did not stop though, the last time I suffered from his harassments was in late 2006," Girlie added.
On July 12, the company tried to bring out the machines as a move to run away, in what the union called as an attempt to sabotage the union election. More than 60 workers alternately held a die-in in front of the company gate to prevent the trucks from going out. They succeeded, except that 59 of them were prevented from coming back to work, and their salaries were withheld, until the time of this writing.
CTUHR will immediately ask the Congress, Department of Labor and Employment and other appropriate government institutions to thoroughly investigate the workers' complaints and assist them of their pursuit to seek justice.
BMMC produces roughly 5,400 pairs of Advan-branded rain boots and 2,700 pairs of shoes every day distributed locally. Its biggest buyer is the SM chain of department stores. It employs 205 rank-and file workers, 85% are women, five supervisors and less than 10 office personnel. It is located in Wilmark 2, RMT Industrial Complex, Tunasan, Muntinlupa city, Metro Manila. ###
The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) is an independent NGO engaged in documentation & monitoring of human rights violations committed against workers. It conducts research, information and supports advocacy campaign for workers' rights promotion and protection.
For more information on the CTUHR please visit www.ctuhr.org.