Philippines: Protesters demand Simifru to negotiate
Banana Industry Growers and Workers Against Sumifru (Bigwas) leader protested outside Sumifru headqu…Banana Industry Growers and Workers Against Sumifru (Bigwas) leader protested outside Sumifru headquarters on Thursday.
The aim of the protest was to get the company to attend collective bargaining negotiations with the union of Sumifru's cold storage workers as so far, the company has not been to any of the scheduled dates for the negotiations.
Bigwas is a cluster of banana packing plant unions formed in March when Sumifru unilaterally implemented the controversial piece-rate payment scheme that slashed workers' wages by at least 50 percent. In April, this dispute was settled.
"Sumifru is launching an all-out offensive against workers who are fighting back against contractualization and union busting, schemes that the company has executed over the years, but failed to implement in full especially in Sumifru’s unionised packing plants. Now they are trying to do this to our colleagues in the cold storage and we will not allow that," said Bigwas spokesperson, Joel Cuyos.
Sumifru Corporation started growing bananas in Mindanao in 1970 and bases its operations in Mindanao. It also "engages in sourcing, production, shipment and marketing of various fresh fruits, primarily the export of quality Cavendish bananas, Pineapple and Papaya" according to its website.