On May 5th, 24 union officers of NXP Cabuyao (Philippines) were dismissed. The dismissal followed after the workers refused to work overtime on April 9, 17, 19 and May 1, which are all national public holidays. According to Reden Alcantara, union president of the NXP Semiconductors Company Workers Union (NXPSCIWU), the move is meant to weaken the bargaining power of the union, which is currently in the process of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement package.
On May 5th, 24 union officers of NXP Cabuyao (Philippines) were dismissed. The dismissal followed after the workers refused to work overtime on April 9, 17, 19 and May 1, which are all national public holidays. According to Reden Alcantara, union president of the NXP Semiconductors Company Workers Union (NXPSCIWU), the move is meant to weaken the bargaining power of the union, which is currently in the process of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement package.
The dismissed officers, which include all members of the union Executive Board as well as the Shop Steward Council, were immediately put on a blacklist and were barred from entering the company premises. All their benefits were blocked including the educational subsidy which is due to be released on May 15.
In a memo dated May 5, 2014, the NXP management states that the union officers “participated knowingly in an illegal strike” and “are deemed to have lost their employment status pursuant to law”. It further said that “the officers were terminated for just cause … illegal strike on April 9, and other following holidays.” The management is referring to the workers’ refusal to work overtime last April 9, 17, 19 and May 1, which are all public holidays. April 9 was Araw ng Kagitingan (National Valor Day) while April 17 & 19 were Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, which are widely-observed in the Catholic-dominated country. As for May 1, International Labor Day, the union and the company have a standing agreement that all union members are off from work and are able to participate in Labor Day activities.
23 negotiation sessions
The move is obviously a malicious attack on the workers who are currently undergoing a struggle to conclude a new collective bargaining agreement package. The dismissal of the officers is meant to weaken the bargaining power of the union. The CBA negotiation between the NXP management and union started in January this year and already had 23 negotiation sessions. The union is demanding for an 8% increase in wages while the company stopped its offer at 3.5% increase, which is only half of the hike given to the workers in their last CBA. . The management has twice declared a deadlock and decided to seek a 3rd-party negotiator.
Sow fear
Reden Alcantara, union president of the NXP Semiconductors Company Workers Union (NXPSCIWU) and concurrent national president of the Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP): “The termination of all union officials is yet another harassment of the NXP management to force us to give up on our just CBA demands to improve the lot of the workers. The management, in collusion with the government, is trying hard to bust our union and the dismissal of the officers is meant to sow fear among the workers and threaten them against supporting the union.”
The MWAP calls for the immediate reinstatement of the 24 dismissed union officers and urges the company to immediately sit down with the workers and resume the CBA negotiations. MWAP expressed its full support for the union and said that it is prepared to launch a campaign on the NXP fight both at the local and international arenas.
About NXP
NXP Semiconductors is considered as among the global market leaders in the semiconductor and electronics industry. It is formerly a division of Philips Semiconductor, until it was sold to a consortium of private equity investors in 2006. NXP is operating in more than 25 countries and its global headquarters is located in Einhoven, the Netherlands. It has around 24,000 workers worldwide.
NXP Semiconductors Company in Cabuyao is located at the Light Industry and Science Park I in Cabuyao, Laguna. It is one of the six test and assembly sites of NXP Semiconductors worldwide. NXP Cabuyao has more than 5,000 employees.
