Strike closes Japanese frozen fruit export company
In Davao City, the Philippines, a strike at the Japanese company Nakashin Davao International has…In Davao City, the Philippines, a strike at the Japanese company Nakashin Davao International has forced the company to shut down operations and led to it formally filling for company closure with the Labor Department on June 12th. The company was engaged in the export of frozen fruits to Japan, Europe and other countries.
Nakashin President Keisuke Nakao told BusinessWorld in an interview that the company has lost P140 million since the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and the agency workers barricaded the company premises since May 26.
Nakashin contracted two agencies, Workstation and DBS Advance Concept, for almost 300 workers. However, the company did not renew its contract with the agencies after its workers complained of salary delays and other related complaints. Nakashin contracted a new agency on the condition that it would absorb the workers of the previous agencies; 240 of these workers continued to work, but 75 workers were fired. These are the workers picketing the company, demanding reinstatement and regularization with Nakashin.
Nakashin exports up to 2,500 tons of frozen mango, pineapple and other fruits to other countries every year but with the ongoing protest, the company’s foreign customers have canceled all their contracts with Nakashin and threatened to sue Nakashin for breach of contract because of its failure to deliver.
The workers are not just the ones that will be affected by Nakashin’s closure as hundreds of farmers in Maguindanao also rely on the company’s business as it sources its fruits from the area.
