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.
Workers from Compostela Valley said the wage scheme will cut their take home pay by more than half. The new scheme was implemented by the company on March 23.
Elmer Bong Labog, chairperson of KMU, called the piece rate scheme “anti-worker”. “Its greed for greater profits does not justify its attacks on its growers’ and workers’ wages,” Labog said.
“The more than 5,000 regular and contractual Sumifru workers have every right to hold protests and even launch a strike against this scheme. It’s as if they are being pushed off a cliff and they have no other choice but to fight back,” Labog said.
Labog said Sumifru workers typically work overtime from four to eight hours a day, even as, according to the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sumifru is Number 1 in its chosen markets in terms of both volume and quality.
“Sumifru cannot even claim that it is ‘incurring losses;’ it is merely greedy for higher profits. Workers’ rights should serve as a check to capitalist greed, but if capitalists don’t respect workers’ rights, then workers have every reason to fight back,” Labog added.
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