A series of protests on 5 June marked the 1st month of the illegal dismissal of 24 union officers of NXP Cabuyao. A picket protest in front of the main office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) served as the kick-off activity. Various organizations expressed their support. NXP published an open letter in one of the country’s leading newspapers in an attempt to win public opinion.
A series of protests on 5 June marked the 1st month of the illegal dismissal of 24 union officers of NXP Cabuyao. A picket protest in front of the main office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) served as the kick-off activity. Various organizations expressed their support. NXP published an open letter in one of the country’s leading newspapers in an attempt to win public opinion.
Children of illegally dismissed workers joined their parents in calling on DOLE to act decisively on the labor dispute and to strongly urge the NXP management to reinstate the 24 union officials. The children carried placards saying “Paano na ang aming kinabukasan?” (What will happen to our future?) , “Trabaho para sa mga magulang namin” (Jobs for our parents) and “Pinaglalaban ni papa ko ang sahod, trabaho at karapatan para makatapos kami sa pag-aaral” (My father fights for wages, jobs and rights so we can finish our education).
In the afternoon, workers and supporters assembled in front of the LISP 1 gate and held a brief program before strongly asserting that they should be allowed to get inside the special economic zone (SEZ) and hold a protest in front of the NXP plant. It is important to hold the picket at the company’s doorsteps so that the NXP management is able to hear the demands. The protesters were welcomed with barbed wires, padlocked gates and the presence of police and emergency response teams (ERT). Undaunted, the protesters asserted their right and broke through the gate to march inside the SEZ.
Simultaneous with the protest actions outside, workers also conducted successive noise barrage inside the plant during lunch and snacks break.
Open letter
In a bid to win public opinion, NXP released an open letter and published it in one of the country’s leading newspaper. In response, the NXP management said that it is prepared to settle the issue. However, the union hit this as nothing but pure talk. Reden Alcantara, president of NXP Semiconductor Inc. Workers Union (NXPSCIWU) and National President of the Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP), said that on the contrary, the NXP management has already suspended the CBA talks despite the union’s willingness to resolve the dispute. He also said that the management is campaigning for individual ratification of the CBA in an effort to break the unity of the workers.
