After only 13 hours of labor strike, 133 workers of a packing plant of the Japanese-owned Sumifru banana packing plant in Compostela Valley inked a deal with the management to scrap the piece-rate system and install an hourly payment scheme.

Government officials are optimistic about the influx of Japanese investments in the city following the state visit last week of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A union leader here said that the Philippine army is using the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign to discourage workers from joining unions, specifically the militant labor union center Kilusang Mayo Uno.

Workers of a Japanese-owned company Sumifru aired their dismay over the stalled Collective Bargaining Agreement for two years.

Members of AJMR Labor Union-Association of Democratic Labor Organization stage a protest in front of the ​office of the banana firm, ​Sumifru in Bajada, Davao City. Jonjie Bayana,​ union vice president said they want the management to face them for negotiations on workers issues regarding unfair labor practices.(Ace R. Morandante/davaotoday.com)

On the 152nd birthday of Andres Bonifacio on Monday, workers in Davao region marched here to protest low wage and attacks against their union.

Workers reported for work at 5:00 am Friday after their nine-day strike against the Japanese-owned banana plantation Sumifru Corp. in Compostela Valley.

Dismissed workers of a banana company warned that they will call upon the members of their association to launch a wider strike should the management fail to reinstate them.

Another multinational banana company in the region succumbed to workers’ protest revoking its implementation of the piece rate scheme which was criticized for cutting workers’ wage by more than half.

Militant group Kilusang Mayo Uno today called on Japanese-owned banana company Sumifru Corporation in Davao City to junk its piece-rate scheme following protest of workers and growers of the company against it on Friday.