DAVAO CITY,Philippines – Workers terminated by Jollibee Foods Corporation in Parañaque City, launched the hashtag #BEEastMode campaign to protest their dismissal, and gathered for a picket protest yesterday at the main commissary and warehouse of the food chain.
According to them, the campaign wanted Filipinos across the country and abroad to temporarily refrain from patronizing JFC products “as form of public support to their call for regularization and to stop the series of mass lay-offs of contractual workers and agency contracts”.
In the #BEEastMode campaign, the SM-JFC and Defend Job Philippines urged the public not to buy products of JFC and all the subsidiaries and affiliates including: Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Yong He King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Mang Inasal, Burger King, Highlands Coffee, Pho24, 12 Hotpot, Dunkin’ Donuts, Smashburger.
“We ask for understanding and support from our fellow Filipinos in the country and even abroad not to buy products of JFC and all of its affiliates and subsidiaries for the meantime until JFC adheres the DOLE ruling to regularize all its contractual workers and reinstate all of its terminated workers,” said Rogelio Magistrado, leader of SM-JFC.
“Every cent that would be deducted to the earnings of JFC would mean strong push for the benefit of its workers and will add-up pressure to our long-drawn demands for regularization, higher wages and better working conditions inside our workplaces,” he added.
Aside from launching the hashtag #BEEastMode campaign the protester also shaved their heads as to express their condemnation to the termination of JFC of its agency service contracts with Toplis Solutions and Staff Search Agency last week that led to the mass lay-off of hundreds of workers.
The protest challenged Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene and strictly implement its prior rulings against JFC.
“We appeal to Secretary Bello and President Duterte to order JFC Founder and Chairman, Tony Tan Caktiong to stop its illegal activities against its workers, immediately start to comply the regularization order and stop circumventing the law just to push its anti-workers policies,” said Rogelio Magistrado, president of the Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Jollibee Foods Corporation (SM-JFC).
Last month the Labor Department released the list of the top companies who were found practicing labor-only contract, which include JFC. Despite Bello’s order mandating JFC to regularize its contractual workers ”still there are retrenchment of workers and the numerous termination of agency contracts being executed by the JFC”.(davaotoday.com)
