Dole Philippines Workers in Tough Fight as US Company Uses Military Force Vs Union

And then last year, the Dolefil management allegedly wholly supported an imposter set of officers who held an illegal, ill-attended “general assembly” to replace the incumbent officials. Despite repeated messages from the labor department calling for a status quo ante, the Dole management reportedly refused to stop passing the union dues to their choice “union officials,” which meant it continued to recognize these officials to the detriment of Amado-Kadena.

Today, the same union officials are running LEAD-PH, who is challenging the incumbent Amado Kadena-NAFLU-KMU with the backing of, among others, management threats of dismissal, closure, non-renewal of contracts in the labor cooperatives, intimidation, and splurging on workers with snacks and other perks, according to the non-government Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR).

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The challenge to the incumbent union is apparently not just backed up by the management, but by the government’s troops as well. According to the CTUHR, which has fielded observers and trade union rights advocates in General Santos City to watch over the elections, “the Army has suddenly become more visible in the company premises and they are openly inviting workers to attend anti-union and anti-communist fora. In the pretext of counter-insurgency operation and weeding out from the union the alleged communist infiltration, both Dolefil management and the military have combined to harass union officers and vilify the KMU-affiliated AK-NAFLU.”

Workers in the Dole Philippines plantation: A fight for better wages and working conditions. (Photo courtesy of Jo Teruel / bulatlat.com)

This in spite of a “social accord for a fair, clean and democratic election” prepared and brokered by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) together with the Philippine Army, the local government, LEAD-PH, Amado-Kadena, the Dolefil management and the CHR.

So far, all indications point to the lack of respect by the Dolefil management, LEAD-PH and the military for this agreement. They have not attended subsequent tripartite meetings, for instance. Worse, Amado-Kadena had complained numerous violations of the “social accord” committed by the management, military and LEAD-PH.

Along with the anti-progressive unionism seminars courtesy of the military —  for instance a few days after the signing of the accord – LEAD-PH is reportedly getting new votes from workers by using money as bribes and snacks. Amado-Kadena complained that LEAD-PH was being given full access to workers to do their campaigning during work hours.

LEAD-PH also parrots the military’s line in vilifying the Amado-Kadena supporters as communists. Amado-Kadena denounced as foul a forged statement released by the LEAD-PH linking the Amado-Kadena to the CPP-NPA and another containing a lie about the mayor’s supposed donation to Amado-Kadena.

Meanwhile, in the villages where workers live with their families, soldiers have reportedly been more visible. According to the documentations of the CTUHR, soldiers belonging to the 27th IB, the unit that signed the “social accord,” were sighted roving in the communities.

Also, CTUHR noted that the Barangay Defense System that takes its command from the military is still present in Asuncion, the village closest to the polling station. The BDS is stationed in a former daycare center where a military truck is always parked.

Ominously, the labor rights advocates reported with alarm, too, the recent assignment of Col. Ricardo Visaya to head the 27^th IB. According to Daisy Arago, executive director of CTUHR,  Visaya is “a notorious person who had been heavily involved in the counter-insurgency operation (called OBL) in Central Luzon.”

Visaya was responsible for hounding unionists and forcing the resignation of KMU affiliates in Pampanga, said Arago. “Most KMU unions and even independent but progressive ones weren’t able to come back after what he did,” Arago added.

After Central Luzon, Visaya led the civilian-military operations in Metro Manila before the 2007 elections and, according to CTUHR, Visaya has contributed in drastically reducing the Anakpawis, Gabriela and Bayan Muna’s votes in Metro Manila.

“Visaya’s people operate openly by doing civic functions, medical missions etc. simultaneous with anti-union, primarily anti-KMU, anti-communist propaganda,” Arago said.

Despite all the forces being deployed against Amado-Kadena in today’s election, Teruel, the Amado-Kadena president, hopes their members would still vote for Amado-Kadena “before the gains of their 12-year struggle to uplift the condition of Dolefil workers are completely reversed.”