Members of the Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma sa Suyafa Farms (NAMASUFA) on Friday morning staged a protest in front of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional XI to address their dismay over the agency’s lack of intervention on the dispute between Sumifru Philippines Corporation and its contractual workers.
The 900 union worker members are calling on Sumifru, a Japanese multinational company, to regularize them as part of their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations for almost 12 years.
The protest, accompanied by the Kilusang Mayo Uno-Southern Mindanao Region (KMU-SMR) comes after a failed attempted to disperse NAMASUFA from their strike camp in Compostela Valley by some unidentified men allegedly accompanied by the members of Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Melodina Gumanoy, Union Secretary of NAMASUFA said that the disperse was questionable since the RTC 11 Branch 56 of Compostela Valley already dismissed the issuance of preliminary injunction filed by Sumifru on October 6 restraining the members of KMU who are responsible for blocking the ingress and egress of the banana plantation.
“We went under process in seeking our demand to Sumifru, which is for them to recognize us as their regular workers, as stated in our collective bargaining agreement (CBA),” Gumanoy said in an media interview.
On October 5, DOLE issued an assumption of jurisdiction (AJ) listed in Department Order No. 40-H-13, stating that the company is losing a total of P38 Million per day and ‘that any stoppage of the company’s adversely affecting public good and public interest.’
But Gumanoy belied the company’s reason, saying that the P1 million they are seeking for additional wage is only a smaller amount as compared to the company’s multi-million revenues.
“They’ve generated so much income from us workers, and this is how they us? By harassing us using the state forces?”, she said.
NAMASUFA resisted the AJ order from DOLE, saying that they had complied it for many years now but no actions were made by Sumifru.
She also said that it does not guarantee their security of tenure.
The group was supposed to seek dialogue with DOLE XI director Raymundo G. Agravante, but failed since he was in an out-of-town business.
No officials from the government agency granted a media interview due to protocol restrains, considering the issue is still under negotiation.
Sumifru Philippines Corporation is a Japanese multinational company engaged in the sourcing, production, shipment, and marketing of various fresh fruits, primarily the export of quality Cavendish bananas, pineapple, and papaya. The company operates in more than 12,000 hectares in Mindanao.
According to Gumanoy, 70% of its estimated 4,700 workers are not regularized, mostly ranging from ages 60-75 years old.
Edge Davao has yet to reach out to Sumifru regarding this matter.
Regularization has been the call of different labor groups since President Rodrigo Duterte stepped in.
Recently, he certified the Security of Tenure and End of Endo Act of 2018, a proposed law against contractualization or “endo” (end of contract) arrangements.
Chamber groups such as the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) opposed the said bill, citing it would affect micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs).
