Unions stage protest vs. Coca Cola

THE Coca Cola Union leaders supported by their ally labor organizations are staging a protest against the alleged anti-worker and anti-union policies being implemented by Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines.
“Every time you open a bottle of Coca Cola, please remind the company to respect the worker's rights,” said Coca Cola union leaders in a press conference held Friday at the Negros Press Club.

The union leaders alleged that the management of Coca Cola Philippines is systematically replacing regular jobs with contractual workers.

“Apart from promoting early retirement program, the company is aggressively outsourcing many of its regular jobs. Most recently, the company imposed a program called P3 or Performance, Participation and Presence that consigns thousands of workers and their families who depend on decent wages from regular, unionized jobs to a bleak future,” Emmanuel Bandola, spokesman of Accup, said.

Bandola disclosed that P3 lacks any consideration of fairness and equity in wages and wage increases, protection against arbitrary and unfair punishment or dismissal, protection against discrimination while undermining the right to union representation in appealing unfair performance appraisals, and the absence of fair and transparent grievance procedures involving union representation prior to penalties imposed under performance appraisals.

He said they will not stop their campaign against what they consider as anti-worker and anti-union policy of Coca Cola until the P3 is scrapped and make the company a great place to work again.

The International Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association also claimed that Coca-Cola Philippines is up for sale by the Coca Cola Company to Coca Cola Femsa from Mexico.

The group claimed that Femsa team is already in the country visiting bottling plants and looks on the company's assets and its potentials.

The union leaders who staged the protest were the Alliance of Coca Cola Unions in the Philippines (Accup), New Independent Workers Organization Coca Cola, supported by their ally labor organizations: Sugar Watch, GAWA and Gawa Core Group. (Teresa D. Ellera)