MORE than 200 workers at Coca-Cola Cebu face potential layoffs on Feb. 11, 2025, less than 20 days away, according to a labor union.
Some of the affected workers denounced the move by staging a protest outside the office of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 in Cebu City on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Protesters criticized what they called an attack by management for their push for regularization. The protest was led by the labor union Progressive Workers Association of Exel-Tech Manpower and Services Inc.–Coca-Cola Cebu.
Union members criticized the Dole 7’s lack of follow-up on their 2018 victory at the department, which ruled in their favor for regularization. They now face termination under a new manpower agency, Xisco, replacing Exel-Tech.
Union president Jason Rey Gomez, who has worked at Coca-Cola Cebu for 17 years, called the impending layoffs a direct assault on their efforts.
“This move is an attack on our job security and a blatant effort to dismantle the union,” he said in Cebuano.
Gomez added that workers fear the layoffs disproportionately target union members, some of whom have been employed for over a decade without being regularized.
Plea for intervention
The workers addressed their plea to Dole 7 Director Roy Buenafe, requesting immediate intervention and the participation of Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines representatives in a dialogue to resolve the issue. Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines is the new name of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc., formerly known as Coca-Cola Femsa Philippines Inc.
However, no Coca-Cola representatives attended the scheduled dialogue on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
The National Conciliation and Mediation Board 7 scheduled another dialogue for Friday, Jan. 24.
SunStar Cebu reached out to Coca-Cola via email on Wednesday, but had not received a reply as of press time.
Concerns
Gomez accused Coca-Cola Cebu of circumventing labor laws by replacing Exel-Tech with Xisco, effectively firing workers without regularizing them.
Under Dole Department Order 174, Series of 2017, labor-only contracting occurs when contractors lack substantial capital, investments, or supervision, and their workers perform tasks integral to the principal company’s main business operations. This practice is prohibited under Section 5 of the order.
The union contends that the looming layoffs are a deliberate attempt to exploit “end of contract” clauses, sidestepping regularization mandates from the Dole 7.
Order
On Feb. 7, 2019, the Dole 7 directed Coca-Cola and its manpower agencies to regularize certain workers.
The order declared 35 bottling crew members, 52 pickers, and segregators as regular employees of Coca-Cola and its agency, Exel-Tech.
Among those named in the order were 35 bottling crew members from the Tipolo-Mandaue plant, including Gomez, 16 pickers and segregators from the Cebu City distribution center and 35 workers from the Consolacion distribution center.
The Dole 7 required the Coca-Cola management to submit proof of regularization, including Social Security System, Philhealth and PagIbig Fund memberships, within 10 days of receiving the order.
Despite the ruling, union representatives claimed that the company failed to comply fully, leaving workers in a precarious position as the Feb. 11 layoffs near. / CDF