Pinoy
Workers Who Make Barbie Dolls Cry Foul Over Union-Busting
It's
been two months since the picketlines were first put up in front of the factory
gates of Richwell Trading Corporation in No. 15 Calle Economia, Bagumbayan,
Quezon City. Richwell is the local maker, importer, exporter and distributor of
Barbie dolls, HotWheels and Matchbox toy cars, Barbie Doll children's clothes,
and baby clothes under the trademark Chicco and Pegion.
The
workers in its distribution and shipping department -- 45 drivers and stackers
-- launched a strike last March 2 against what they term as the company's
anti-labor practices, among them union-busting.
Richwell
Philippines is a sister company of Richwell Trading, the manufacturer of toys
and clothes. The companies are located in the same lot. The products made and
distributed by both companies are intended both for the local and international
market; the clothes and toys are exported to Japan, USA, and various countries
in Europe. Richwell Philippines has a total of 112 workers, all of them women.
The
workers were forced to launch their strike when the management suddenly
announced illegal layoffs last February 24. The management targeted 13 workers
who were all active members and leaders of the newly established union
Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Richwell. Among those who were fired were Albert
Bayta, union president, and Arnel Pedron, union board member.
The
union filed a notice of strike last Feb. 27, and from Feb. 28 the workers held
pickets in front of the company premises. The union's frequent and consistent
attempts to dialogue with the management was ignored, leaving the workers with
no choice but to launch the strike in the early morning of March 2.
Richwell
is owned by businessman Alberto S. Yao. By itself, the company is doing more
than fine. It sells and distributes its products to all known malls and
department stores in the country, primarily to SM Shoemart, Rustan's, Robinson's
and Gaisano chain of department storse.
Yao
also owns Europlay, which is the local distributor of the playground sets found
in fastfood outlets Jollibee and MacDonald's. He also owns Diana Lingerie and
the Megarich Agency, which provides manpower to Servitek Goodyear.
According
to union president Alberto Bayta, workers at Richwell Trading are forced to work
more than eight hours a day, with no overtime pay. They have no choice but turn
in 10-12 hours of work to meet their tight distribution deadlines. They have to
deliver all Richwell products to various points across the county, as well as
ensure that they're shipped or airlifted abroad. More than half of all workers
in Richwell Trading have been at the company for more than 10 years, but they
still receive the minimum wage of P250 daily. The women workers of Richwell
Philippines, meanwhile, receive less: P220 per day.
"The
company fired us because we formed a union, and because we had begun to demand
that the management negotiate with us for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
We don't have union leaves, vacation leaves or sick leaves; and we don't have
any other benefits. We wanted a union because we saw that without it, we could
not negotiate with the management. We also want to help the workers in our
sister company put up their own union. When the management got wind of our
plans, we were axed. This is a clear-cut case of union busting," Bayta
said.
The
legal case of the Richwell Trading workers is currently being heard at the
National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) under Arbiter Eugenia Fernandez. It
has been two months but he arbiter has yet to call for an arbitration meeting.
In
the meantime, the company has also managed to get a temporary restraining order
(TRO) laid down against the workers. Last April 20, the TRO was imposed against
the strike. What's particularly fishy about the TRO is that it was not issued by
the NLRC but by the QC Regional Trial Court branch presided by Judge Emilio
Leachon. The workers said it is unusual that a common court issues a TRO against
a labor dispute. Under labor laws, the courts have no role to play in labor
disputes.
Kilusang Mayo Uno