Cebu labor group asks DOLE-7 to probe retrenchment of 4,000 MEPZ workers

Photo courtesy of MEPZ Workers Alliance FB

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A labor group here asked the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) to look into one of the biggest retrenchments carried out in the Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ). 

The Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU) condemned the mass lay-off of factory workers in five MEPZ locators.

In a statement, AMA Sugbo-KMU chairperson, Jaime Paglinawan, said they received reports that the five garment manufacturers kept hiring new employees despite the retrenchment. 

“Dapat imbestigahan sa DOLE-7 ang pag-hire og mga bag-ong empleyado sa mga garment factories taliwala sa nahitabong mass retrenchment,” said Paglinawan. 

(DOLE-7 should investigate the hiring of new employees of the garment factories amid the retrenchment of some of their workers.)

“Dako kini nga inhustisya sa mga nataktak nga mamumuo nga mawad-an sila og trabaho tungod kuno sa grabeng krisis sa kalibutan pero sila pulihan ra diay og lain,” he claimed. 

(This is a big injustice to the workers who were retrenched who lost their jobs because of the supposed major crisis in the world but they were instead replaced by another worker.)

MEPZ-based garment factories, Mactan Apparels, Metro Wear, Globalwear Manufacturing, Feeder Apparel Corporation, and Vertex One Apparel Philippines, recently laid off 4,485 workers.

All firms belonged to the Sports City International group of companies whose headquarters are based in Taiwan. 

The companies cited financial losses behind their decision to let go of around 75 percent of their workforce. It was also one of the biggest retrenchments recorded in MEPZ’s recent history. 

AMA Sugbo-KMU also condemned the mass lay-off, describing the moves as cruel considering the current state of the economy. 

“Nabuhat sa Sports City nga manaktak og liboan ka mga empleyado panahon sa grabeng krisis sa ekonomiya para malikayan nila ang obligasyon sa pagpasaka sa inadlaw nga suholan. Gusto ani nga kompanya nga magpabiling barato ang suholan para sa pagpatubo sa ilang kaugalingong ginansya,” claimed Paglinawan.

(Sports City did this to retrench thousands of employees at a time of a major crisis in the economy so that they can allegedly avoid their obligation to increase the daily salary of the employees. The company wants that the salary of the employees would be still so that they could increase their profits.)

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