A KOREAN-INVESTED banana plantation in Compostela Valley Province along with its local employees worry that the company might reach bankruptcy if progressive group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) continues to block the company's operations.
Shinsun Tropical Fruits Corporation, which has been shut down by the labor strike, has been losing at least P2-million a week as the whole operation of the farm and the plantation was stopped due to the barricade staged by the group.
The rallyists, which consists of KMU supporters and 37 contract-expired workers, want to return to the company as regular workers.
The National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NMCB)-Davao conducted a series of assessment in hopes to resolve the issue.
NCMB-Davao officer-in-charge Airrine Marie Reyes said, in interview with SunStar Davao, that the company said they can only offer former workers their separation fees.
Shinsun Tropical Fruits Corporation has a service contract with a manpower agency to receive contractual workers that they need but following the change of Department Order 174 released on March 2017, the agency who supplied contractual workers to the company did not renew their labor permit due to the increased capital amount from P3 million to P5 million.
"(There was) not (enough) money to afford. Agency did not renew all contractual workers after end of contract," as stated in the official statement of In Joon Kim, owner of Shinsun Tropical Fruits Corporation.
The company also made it clear that after the huge loss caused by the barricade, they will no longer accept the workers who made an illegal strike.
"Endo is important and necessary if the nature of business can accept and manage it. But the reason many of the employer hesitate to make people to regular is not because they do not want to provide the benefits or pay lower wage but due to the low quality of the labor, difficult to terminate the worker even if it is needed and a fear of strike anytime by the unionized worker," as explained further in the statement.
The other workers who also became jobless because of the strike were hoping the rallyists will remove the barricade as they also have to provide for their families and other financial expenses.
Shinsun Tropical Fruit Corporation, a banana farm and plantation, has a planted area of 135 and has nearly 240 employed people for its farm operations.
SunStar Davao tried to reach out to the Department of Labor and Employment in Davao Region, however, the regional director was not available.