By SHAN KENSHIN Q. ECALDRE

Bulatlat.com 

STA. ROSA, Laguna — Locking arms in front of the  San Miguel Integrated Logistics Services Inc (SMILSI) plant, workers from across Southern Tagalog raised their clenched fists, calling for job security, a living wage, and justice for hundreds of dismissed workers. 

The State of the Workers Address (SOWA) held July 17 brought together workers from various factories across the region in solidarity with the about 800 workers dismissed by San Miguel Integrated Logistics and Services. 

For Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan–Kilusang Mayo Uno (PAMANTIK-KMU), the SOWA served as an alternative assessment of the country’s labor situation, highlighting mass layoffs, contractualization, low wages, union busting, and continuing attacks on workers’ rights.

“The State of the Workers Address is being held today so the public can witness the real conditions faced by workers poverty wages, meager benefits, and the reality that even regular workers can be dismissed, just like what happened to the San Miguel workers,” PAMANTIK-KMU Secretary General Mia Antonio said.

Antonio said the dismissal of approximately 800 SMILSI workers after years of service demonstrated how even regular employment no longer guarantees security under the prevailing labor system.

“Despite dedicating years of service, the capitalist San Miguel repaid them by throwing 800 workers out of their jobs,” she said. “It is not only the workers who lost their livelihood but also their families. It proves that even regular workers are no longer secure.”

She added that the violations experienced by the dismissed San Miguel workers reflect broader conditions confronting workers throughout Southern Tagalog.

“It is not only the San Miguel workers who are experiencing violations of their Collective Bargaining Agreement. Workers in Gardenia and other factories are also facing similar attacks on their rights,” Antonio said.

Following the program, participants staged a protest caravan to the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in Calamba City.

Living wage still out of reach

Antonio said Southern Tagalog remains one of the country’s major industrial centers, yet workers continue to receive wages that fall far below what families need for a decent standard of living.

Research shows that a family of five needs at least P1,200 ($19.45) a day to survive with dignity, yet workers continue to receive only around P600 ($9.72).

Antonio also criticized the recently approved P85 ($1.38) daily wage increase in the National Capital Region, saying that its staggered implementation remains grossly inadequate amid continuously rising prices of food, transportation, utilities, and other basic commodities.

For PAMANTIK-KMU, workers continue to demand a genuine living wage, regular employment, and the protection of their right to organize and collectively bargain.

‘Mass layoffs are inhumane’

Marife Valdeavilla, spokesperson of Alyansa ng mga Manggagawa sa Probinsya ng Laguna (ALMAPILA), condemned the continuing wave of dismissals affecting workers across Laguna.

“We condemn these mass layoffs because they are inhumane and unjust,” Valdeavilla said. “At a time when people are already suffering from soaring prices and an economic crisis, workers are burdened with poverty wages while many are losing their jobs. What kind of society allows this to happen?”

She called on workers throughout Laguna to unite in defending their livelihoods and labor rights.

“We challenge workers to stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for our rights and our livelihood,” she said.

Valdeavilla also challenged Laguna Governor Sol Aragones to intervene in the labor dispute.

“We challenge Governor Sol Aragones to speak on what is happening to the workers of Laguna. Stand with the workers, Fulfill your oath as the mother of this province,” she said.

‘Discarded after years of service’

Speaking on behalf of the dismissed SMILS workers, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa San Miguel Logistics–Independent (USMILSI-IND), President, Rogen Flotildes recalled the sacrifices made by workers before they were terminated.

“Many of us rendered more than five years of service. We gave our blood and sweat to Ramon Ang, only to be discarded like rags,” Flotildes said.

He thanked fellow workers and labor organizations for standing in solidarity with their struggle.

“Our livelihoods have been taken away. That is why workers must unite if we are to win our fight,” he said.

Flotildes also criticized what he described as the government’s failure to uphold workers’ rights.

“We condemn a state that sides with capitalist Ramon Ang. Even the Department of Labor and Employment has, according to the dismissed workers, favored the interests of the company,” Flotildes said.

He urged workers and the broader public to continue joining collective actions against what he described as worsening attacks on labor rights amid the country’s economic crisis.

Before boarding vehicles bound for Calamba City, workers once again linked arms in front of the factory gates, raised their fists, and chanted calls against mass layoffs, contractualization, and poverty wages.

For the workers gathered outside the San Miguel facility, the SOWA was more than an alternative address, it was a collective assertion that while government officials prepare to deliver another State of the Nation Address, workers continue to confront unemployment, labor rights violations, and deepening economic insecurity.

As their voices reverberated along the highway outside the factory, their message remained unequivocal: no claim of economic progress can ring true while those who produce the nation’s wealth continue to face job insecurity, repression, and hunger. (AMU, RVO)