By By Juliane Judilla
Hundreds of workers from semiconductor giant Nexperia staged a strike inside the plant in Cabuyao City, Laguna, which started on March 5, protesting unfair labor practices.
Led by the Nexperia Philippines Inc. Workers’ Union (NPIWU), the strike began on March 5, when more than 500 workers shut down production at exactly 1:50 in the afternoon. Simultaneously, various labor groups, multi-sectoral organizations, and supporters formed a picket line outside the Laguna Industrial and Science Park. The workers protested against the massive layoffs, delays in the negotiation of their collective bargaining agreements (CBA), and the dismissal of four workers, who are also union officers, including NPIWU President Mary Ann Castillo and Vice President Antonio Fajardo.
Additionally, the union also protested the Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) issued on February 5, a day before the union’s planned strike on February 6, by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma. The AJ mandated that workers “not strike.” The AJ is an order issued by the DOLE Secretary in cases of labor disputes in industries deemed “important to national interest.” This results in the automatic cessation of any strike or lockout, and workers are required to immediately return to work, ensuring the continuation of company operations. DOLE may seek assistance from state forces (AFP and PNP) to ensure compliance with these orders, according to Article 278(g) of the Philippine Labor Code (P.D. 442).
According to the union, the DOLE has once again proven that it does not serve the workers’ sector and is more aligned with monopolies and foreign interests, given that NEXPERIA is one of the main exporters in the country, bringing in 2.8 billion dollars.
“Sa mga nakaraang buwan, itinulak na tayo sa sukdulan ng kapitalista at ng DOLE. Para sa kanila na may pakialam lamang sa supertubo, inaalok pa nila tayo sa mga paraang walang patutunguhan,” NPIWU said.
Ahead of the AJ, NPIWU has been in ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations with the DOLE since early 2024. Since then, discussions have come to a halt due to mass layoffs and the management’s refusal to address the union’s economic demands. NPIWU President Castillo stated that over 500 workers have been laid off since last year.
Additionally, Castillo added that the CBA includes a 50-peso wage increase over the next three years. However, the workers were only offered P17.
NPIWU argues that P17 is “unacceptable,” given that workers are being forced to shoulder additional workloads due to the laid-off employees.
During the first three days of the strike, the workers were deprived of water, food, and medicine supplies by orders of Nexperia management, causing one worker to be hospitalized due to hypertension. The DOLE also issued a Return-to-Work order, forcing workers to return to production, and failure to comply would provide further justification for violently breaking up the strike, following several attempts by the Laguna Industrial and Science Park (LISP) Security to dismantle the strike.
According to the union, unless Nexperia management agrees to reinstate the four dismissed workers and resume CBA negotiations, they will continue the strike for as long as it takes.
“Hindi namin matatawaran ang ubos-kayang pagsisikap ng lahat ng mga manggagawa ng Nexperia, nandito man sa loob ng pabrika at nagtataguyod ng welga, o nasa labas at taos-puso ang suporta. Hindi tayo natakot sa tuloy-tuloy na pangungutya at pagwawalambahala ng kapitalistang Nexperia! Hindi ngayon matatapos ang welga ng mga manggagawa ng Nexperia!”
“Sa ating mga kahilingang makatwiran, welga lang ang ating masasandalan!” the union added./PT
