SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines—Workers from Cavite province left early Monday for a round of protest rallies outside the labor and justice offices in Manila, as a "kick-off" activity to an investigative mission to be conducted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) this month.

"This is to put pressure and call the attention to our labor rights campaign, in view of the high-level investigative mission (to be conducted) by the ILO," said Aries Soledad, secretary general of the Solidarity of Cavite Workers (SCW).

The workers are set to rally outside the offices of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), Department of Justice, Court of Appeals, and Department of Labor and Employment on Monday.

The ILO will conduct its investigative mission on labor conditions in the Philippines from September 21-29, according to Soledad.

The labor leader said workers have sought the help of the international agency regarding the series of cases filed against organized workers since 2006, which, they said, were meant to stifle them.

Among the cases is the arrest warrant issued by the Rosario municipal trial court in Cavite against 31 members of the Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa Chong Won (NMCW, United Workers of Chong Won) and the Kaisahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Phils-Jeon Inc. (Unity of Workers at Phils-Jeon), and two officers of SCW in March this year.

The warrant came after a series of charges and counter charges filed by the Peza police force and the strikers, and after a "violent dispersal" in 2006 wherein one female worker claimed to have had a miscarriage.

"Until now, there has been no impartial investigation and justice for these workers," added Soledad.

The workers also intend to seek ILO investigations on the implementation of the "no union, no strike policy" in export processing zones.

They said the alleged abduction of union leaders Aurora Afable and Normelita Galon from Phils-Jeon Garment in August 2007, and the "illegal transfer" of equipment and operations of the Golden Will Fashions Philippines from Dasmariñas to Noveleta town that resulted in the retrenchment of 103 workers in June are just as urgent issues needing ILO attention.

The militant labor group Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Unity of Workers in Southern Tagalog) will host a workers' forum "ILO Mechanisms and the Trade Unions in the Philippines" in Cabuyao, Laguna on September 16.