“After imposing slave-like conditions on workers, the Cenapro management is acting like a dictator in punishing workers for holding legitimate protests against such conditions. It not only wants workers to suffer, it wants workers to suffer in silence.” – Kilusang Mayo Uno
By MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — The workers of Cenapro Chemical Corporation in Cebu have launched a strike since 1 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 18) after management stopped negotiations for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and instead slapped the union officials with a variety of cases and threats.
Cenapro, maker of activated carbon used in purifying water, unilaterally stopped CBA negotiations after the workers held a picket last July 16 in protest of the 16-hour work day in the firm. The company filed administrative cases against the union leaders following the picket protest.
The president and vice-president of the Cenapro Chemicals Employees Association-Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organizations, an affiliate of the KMU, were slapped with cases that could result in their dismissal even on first offense.
“After imposing slave-like conditions on workers, the Cenapro management is acting like a dictator in punishing workers for holding legitimate protests against such conditions. It not only wants workers to suffer, it wants workers to suffer in silence,” Labog said.
The labor center praised the Cenapro workers’ action, saying the workers have every right to protest the “slave-like conditions” imposed by Cenapro management on them.
“We unite with them in opposing this inhumane scheme that insults all workers in the country,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson, in a statement.
Filipinos and workers of the world for that matter consider the institutionalization of eight-hour working day as one of the hard-won gains of the labor movement. This law is unfortunately being flouted today by some companies, which seem to make 16-hour workday an ordinary work schedule. The labor department has also been criticized for abetting the trend through its failure to punish employers reported as violating the eight-hour workday provided by the Labor Code. Worse, the Labor department has even come up with proposals to lengthen workdays under its four-day workweek scheme.
Since Cenapro workers launched their strike, only five of the company’s 35 machines continued to run. These five machines are being operated by 13 contractual workers who are not machine operators, the strikers said.
This poses danger not only to the strike but also to the contractual workers themselves who may meet accidents as they continue working with as yet unfamiliar machines. Federations allied with Kilusang Mayo Uno have reported various cases of accidents in the workplace involving contractual workers who were suddenly thrust at work with machines they have not yet been fully trained to handle. Labog of KMU called on workers and Filipinos to express support for the workers of Cenapro. “Their case shows how this government allows violations of the eight-hour work day for which the labor movement fought hard through many, many years.”
