MANILA, Philippines – Starting in 2017, workers formerly employed by Pearl Island Commercial Corp. in Quezon City will face a daunting new year. The company they are supposed to get their bread and butter welcomed in the new year by terminating all regular employees.

Worst of all, workers will become mere statistics of the government’s unemployed and displaced employees.

According to Mar Llanita—union president of Pearl Islands Workers Union an affiliate of Federation of Free Workers (PIWU-FFW)—on January 2, 2017 the management of Pearl islands did not allow them to report for work.

“We were told to accept our separation pay because the company will no longer operate and a manpower agency will take over our job,” Llanita explained.

Llanita adds that about 30 workers from a manpower agency were the ones allowed by the management to enter the company premises and immediately took over their posts.

“The regular employees were just verbally informed of the closure last December 29. They were also told that the company will not release their wages until January 29, 2017. The management’s reason for ending the services of their regular employees was due to old age,” Llanita narrated.

FFW President Attorney Sonny Matula immediately filed a Notice Of Strike (NOS) at the office of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) against Pearl Island Commercial Corp., for union busting, unfair labor practice act and labor only contracting.

Atty. Matula said the hearing for the Notice of Strike will be heard on January 9,  two in the afternoon at the NCMB Central Office in Quezon City.

“Pearl Islands is not losing revenue. It is doing good and prospering in the market. It is a supplier of food paper products like food wrappers for Jollibee, KFC, Max, Dunkin Donut, Windy’s, Andoks and other food chains. It has a workplace at 37 Igdalig st. corner Mauban st. Quezon city,” Atty Matula explained.

Pearl Island Worker’s Union—a chapter of FFW—was founded in 1967 and is scheduled to celebrate its golden anniversary this year. From 75 regular employees, it was reduced to about 20 manpower mainly due to the contractualization.

“Now all regular employees are gone. All their jobs were given to contractuals workers,” Atty. Matula added. CPM