Militant solon blasts ‘brutal’ dispersal of Tanduay workers on strike
Contributed photo by PAMANTIK-KMU
A party-list slammed the brutal dispersal of workers who staged a strike at the Cabuyao, Laguna plant of Tanduay Distillers Inc.
READ: Violence erupts as Tanduay workers go on strike
Kabataan party-list representative Terry Ridon said that staging a strike is a right of workers to air their grievances against unfair treatment they experience in their workplace.
“Launching a strike is a fundamental right of all workers that experience oppression and exploitation in their workplace. The violent acts committed by the management of Tanduay against the striking workers constitute not only clear violations of our country’s labor laws but also grave transgressions of fundamental human rights,” Ridon said.
The lawmaker added that Tanduay employs a total of 1,296 employees, 1,045 of whom are contractual. He said that most of the workers in the company earn P315 a day.
About a hundred workers erected a picket line outside the Asia Brewery compound, which houses the Tanduay plant, last Monday to demand the regularization of 397 contractual workers.
Violence broke out in the said plant as workers clashed with the company’s security personnel. The clashes involved use of water cannons and rock pelting.
As the workers enter their third day on strike, Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan-Kilusang Mayo Uno (PAMANTIK-KMU) said on Wednesday that Tanduay incurred losses of P30 million due to the workers’ strike.
PAMANTIK-KMU added that the protesters are still being fired with water cannons.
Ridon urged the management of Tanduay and owner Lucio Tan to accede to the demands of the workers.
“We call on the management of Tanduay Distillers Inc. and owner Lucio Tan to listen to the demands of the striking workers and stop these illegal and condemnable acts of violence. The workers have launched a strike to demand better wages and better working conditions. Violence is not the answer to those demands,” the lawmaker said. IDL
