AKBAYAN Party-list Representatives Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Kiram Ismula on Friday expressed support for 436 DHL workers who have been on strike since Monday, accusing the company of union-busting amid a deadlock in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The lawmakers visited the striking workers outside the DHL Supply Chain warehouse in Sucat, Muntinlupa City, and denounced what they described as the company’s attempts to undermine the workers’ union.
The DHL Supply Chain workers began their strike on Aug. 17 after management and the DHL United Workers Union (DUWU), the workers’ legitimate bargaining unit, failed to reach an agreement on a new CBA.
The dispute places the jobs and livelihoods of 436 workers and their families in jeopardy.
Diokno said the labor dispute highlights the need to uphold workers’ constitutional rights and ensure that collective bargaining remains a meaningful process.
“At all times, we must ensure that the rights and welfare of our workers are protected. Let us ensure that they can exercise their right to participate in collective bargaining to fight for fair wages, benefits and other rights at work,” Diokno said.
Cendaña slammed DHL management’s alleged attempts to undermine the workers’ right to organize.
“This pressure being exerted by DHL on its workers is unjust. It is a fundamental right of workers to organize and form unions that management must recognize and respect,” Cendaña said.
He also questioned the company’s reported redundancy concerns, calling them a “classic tactic” to undermine workers and saying management had become inflexible in negotiations after the workers organized into a union.
Ismula called on DHL management to end its alleged union-busting efforts and engage the union in meaningful, good-faith negotiations toward a fair CBA.
“It is not a good look for a multinational company like DHL to refuse to follow Philippine laws and disrespect our workers. If they want to do business in our country, they should negotiate in good faith with the union,” Ismula said.
The Akbayan lawmakers reaffirmed the party’s support for DUWU as the workers fight to protect their livelihoods and dignity.
