By JUSTIN UMALI
Bulatlat.com
CABUYAO CITY, Laguna – The union president of an industrial paper mill in Quezon City was suddenly dismissed days before Christmas, December 22.
Renato Ayroso was illegally dismissed on charges of insubordination. He is the president of Militanteng Manggagawa ng Paperland Inc. (MMPI-ANGLO-KMU) and the vice president for National Capital Region of the labor federation Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organizations (ANGLO-KMU).
“Ayroso has long been the target [of management] because of his willingness to fight for their Collective Bargaining Agreement, Occupational Safety and Health inspections, and other workers’ rights,” Kilusang Mayo Uno said in its statement.
According to the group, the harassment against Ayroso began after MMPI successfully persuaded the Department of Labor and Employment to conduct an Occupational Safety and Health inspection in the factory last May.
Ayroso was suspended for 21 days on charges of “sabotaging paper rolls,” but KMU asserted that management was unable to produce any evidence. The suspension was followed by a three-day shutdown, citing low demand.
On September 13, Paperland plant manager Jaime Abrenica “cursed at and threatened” Ayroso for supposedly sending home a worker who worked a straight 12-hour shift. The company’s HR department gave Ayroso a memo accusing him of threatening another worker.
Abrenica accused Ayroso again of “slacking off” during work, which management used as a basis to send another memo to Ayroso, warning him of potential dismissal.
Paperland workers have not stayed silent. Last October 17, they staged a picket protest to condemn the three-day shutdown and the harassment against Ayroso. MMPI also filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Commission to remove Abrenica.
On December 23, MMPI members also joined workers from the Nexperia Philippines Inc. Workers’ Union (NPIWU-NAFLU-KMU) in a protest outside the DOLE offices in Intramuros, Manila. In Nexperia’s case, four union officers were recently laid off, including their president Mary Ann Castillo.
Read: Nexperia management fires union prexy, 3 other officers while CBA nego ongoing
KMU asserted that DOLE must intervene, and condemned the agency’s “inaction in the face of the shameless violation of workers’ rights.”
“Their silence only gives way for capitalists to further exploit workers,” the group stated. They also pointed out that the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration “is following the whims of the capitalist class” by allowing union-busting and mass lay-offs.
The group is calling for the immediate reinstatement of all dismissed workers. KMU is also urging all workers to “unite and protest against the greedy capitalists in defense of our unions and against mass lay-offs.” (RVO)
