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29 julio 2003
Protests erupt vs. shipping company’s unfair labor practices and grave abuse
SULPICIO LINES SEAFARERS MOUNT NATIONWIDE strike
More than 700 personnel of Sulpicio Lines Inc. and Solid Towage and Lighterage Co., Inc., went on strike this morning in the shipping company’s several ports in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro City, Ormoc City, Tacloban City and Dipolog City.
The strike that started at around 5 am today continue to gain overwhelming support from Sulpicio Lines seafarers as well as port workers in various wharfs in the country. As of 10 am, 18 cargo vessels and luxury liners are already in standstill at various ports. Around 200 workers were able to paralyze the operation of the Sulpicio at Pier 12 and 16 of the Manila North Harbor.
One of Sulpicio’s largest luxury liner, the Princess of the Universe, with a total capacity of 2,000 passengers, was not able to sail to Cebu due to the strike. “The cabin crew are holding protests in the deck.”
Six vessels are now docked at the North Harbor. Six more passenger and cargo liners are anchored in Cebu while other vessels are in Sulpicio’s various ports in Mindanao and Visayas.
The seafarers mounted the strike in opposition to the severe unfair labor practices committed by the Sulpicio Lines management against them. Among the issues they raised are union busting, illegal suspension and termination of seafarers who are supposed affiliates of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), very low wages and scarce benefits, unlawful transfer of work or
re-assignments, discrimination against KMU members, 12-14 working hours without overtime pay, verbal harassment, unsafe working conditions in the vessels and anti-worker practices.
Unyon ng mga Mandaragat sa Sulpicio and Solid Towage and Lighterage Inc. (UMSS) President Generoso Sasis said they went on strike as they could no longer endure the severe exploitation done against them by the Sulpicio management led by its owner and General Manager Carlos Go. “The grounds of our strike are legitimate and indisputable. We are asserting for our just wages, employment and trade union rights.”
Sasis said that while seafarers are always working hard to improve the quality of their service to the public, they continue to experience harsh working conditions and abusive treatment from the Sulpicio management. Sasis said that the management and the Cebu-based Alliance of Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) have long burdened Sulpicio seafarers with their anti-worker policies. ALU-TUCP earned notoriety among Sulpicio workers after its leaders Michael and Harley Mendoza forged an agreement with the management for a substandard Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) package. Aside from this, ALU-TUCP has been constantly promoting yellow unionism in Sulpicio.”We want to strengthen the genuine, militant and nationalist trade union in Sulpicio.”
“We were treated like animals. The management has forgotten that Sulpicio Lines has grown into a big company because of the hard work of the workers for many years,” Sasis said.
Violence at Sulpicio Cebu
At around 8:30 this morning in Sulpicio Main Office in Cebu City, hired goons opened fire against protesting workers and even threw several striking seafarers into the sea. Among those who were thrown to the sea include, Jaime Paglinawan, chairman of KMU Cebu, Sulpicio employee Alex Quimpo and a cameraman of a local TV channel.
Sasis said that the Go family based in Cebu are already holding an emergency meeting. Early into the strike Go instructed the Manila based management to negotiate with the union. “We will not lift the strike unless significant resolutions are achieved to address our plight.”
Sasis blamed the ALU-TUCP as the instigator of the harassment against striking seafarers. “They will do anything to protect the interests of the management.”
Military interference in Cotabato
The labor leader also condemned the military’s obvious interference in the ongoing labor dispute. This morning, the City Mayor and Sulpicio Lines Branch Manager in Cotabato threatened the deployment of Philippines Marines at the picketline if the workers will not go back to work. The striking workers however allowed a container van full of military equipment and another van full of food and medicines to dock in the Cotabato City port.
Three more vessels to join the strike
Sasis said that 3 more vessels will be arriving tonight from Cebu and Dipolog namely MV Caribbean, Princess of Dipolog and MV Princess of the World. “As soon as the ships dock, the entire crew will join the strike,” the labor leader said. The three vessels have a combined capacity of 7,000 passengers.
As of now, there had been no dialogues between the management and the union. The seafarers union asserted that even if they are on strike, they will ensure the safety of passengers of the vessels at sea
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31 julio 2003
The two-day strike in Sulpicio Lines Inc. has ended. At 3 a.m. today (July 31, 2003), the strike was lifted and the workers went back to work after the management gave in to their demands. The victory can undoubtedly be accounted to the strong unity of the seafarers who did not yield in to management’s scheme and remained undaunted despite harassments and intimidation from both the management and the yellow union ALU-TUCP. The workers strike completely paralyzed the shipping company as 25 out of 27 vessels owned by Sulpicio Lines stood still due to the work stoppage.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the management and the union. The agreement includes a no-retaliatory clause for the striking workers. The management also pledged to review and reconsider the suspension, transfer, disembarkation and termination of several members of the union.
The union would like to express its deep gratitude to all the people and organizations who supported their struggle in various means. Messages of solidarity were sent by local and international network, among them, Kim Scipes, Ph.D. of Chicago (author of KMU: Building Genuine Trade Unionism in the Philippines, 1980 - 1994), GEFONT in Nepal, International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) - Turkish Section, Philippine - Australia Union Links and the KMU - QC chapter. These support messages have been an inspiration to the workers. Moreover, the mass of workers and other sectors who have linked arms with the striking seafarers helped immeasurably in the swift resolution of the labor conflict.
Again, we thank you for your support to the Filipino workers struggle for jobs, wages and trade union and political rights.
