PRESS RELEASE
“Billionaires’ and tycoons’ wealth at the expense of workers and peoples’ rights.”
“Billionaire’s and tycoons wealth at the expense of workers and peoples’ rights.” This is the joint statement of Defend Job Philippines, Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation Workers Association and Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa Print Town after the release of the 2014 FORBES Magazine’ Most Richest. A protest rally is staged at the financial capital of the Philippines to denounce the massive and illegal dismissal of workers, union busting, low wages and contractualization.
“These business tycoons who landed as billionaires at the Forbes Magazine Most Richest are at the forefront of violating workers and people’s rights. No doubt, Henry Sy landed as number one in the list and one of the two Filipinos who joins the Top Billionaires of the world. Henry Sy is the King of Contractualization, a policy which lowered the wages, cuts off benefits and systematically prohibiting workers to join or organize unions and enjoy collective bargaining agreement benefits. The rest of the billionaires are implementing such policy and therefore extracting huge profits from the sweat and hardwork of millions of workers.” Defend Job Philippines stated
Defend Job Philippines also said that many billionaires who rank at the Top 50 are also top plunderers of people’s resources and violators of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. For example, again Henry Sy, Andrew Tan, Enrique Razon and George Ty are among the main proponents and benefactors of the MANILA BAY RECLAMATION which will destroy the environment and natural ecosystem of the bay. It will also destroy the sources of food, livelihood and people’s homes living at the shorelines.
“George Ty’s only concern is how to enrich himself and extract profit. He doesn’t care about us. For more than a decade, we’ve been writing him and calling for a negotiation but he always refuses to take heed to our demands. That is the reason why he landed number 7 in the Forbes Most Richest Filipinos with a networth of $2.3 billion. Big part of George Ty’s networth comes from our hardwork. From the workers who toil day and night in the factory. George Ty and Toyota are enjoying the fruits of our labor while we the workers and our families and suffering for a longest time since 2001” Ed Cubelo, President of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation Workers Association (TMPCWA) stressed
TMPCWA has been struggling for almost 13 years against the illegal and unjust dismissal of 237 Toyota workers and against union busting and contractualization. An International Labor Organization Recommendation was issued on November 2012 urging the Philippine government for steps to have an honorable settlement between TPMCWA and Toyota management headed by George Ty. Yet, the business tycoon who also owns Metrobank and Global Business Power refused to settle with TMPCWA.
Print Town/Inquirer workers who are victims of illegal dismissal and contractualization also joined the protest action. Mario Maldonado, leader of Nagkakaisang Manggagawa stressed that in their factory in Mamplasan, Binan, Laguna, many workers in the production take home less than P125 a day for more than 8 or more than 12 hours of work. He said that this is the main explanation why businessmen are getting richer and richer. Print Town is a company within the INQUIRER GROUP OF COMPANIES, owned by Marixi Rufino Prieto—FORBE S’ #40 richest Filipina in 2008 with a net worth of $30 million.
The group marched from Buendia to Pasong Tamo and hold a rally in front of the Main Office of Print Town/Inquirer Group of Companies to denounce the illegal dismissal of Print Town workers. They proceeded to TOYOTA Bel-Air and Pasong Tamo and ended their program in front of the Department of Labor and Employment and voiced out their call to junk the Herrera Law, the contractualization culprit.###
Reference: Melona R. Daclan, Defend Job Philippines
Telephone: 09267856299
IMPORTANT NOTICE: INBOX is an archive of press releases, statements, announcements, letters to the editors, and manifestos sent to Davao Today for publication. Please email your materials to davaotoday@gmail.com. Davao Today is not responsible for the content of these materials. The opinion expessed in these items does not reflect those of Davao Today and its staff. Please refer to our terms of use/disclaimer.
