Workers from San Miguel Integrated Logistics Services Inc. (SMILSI) in Laguna went on strike on July 24 in response to the company’s illegal dismissal of more than 800 workers on July 6. The strike, led by the labor union Liga ng mga Manggagawa ng SMILSI, took place at the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Santa Rosa Industrial Complex in Santa Rosa City. National-democratic groups under the alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) joined the picket line on July 25 to show solidarity.
SMILSI is a major logistics company that handles dry goods, cold goods, and ready-to-eat products for major brands under SMC, including Magnolia and Purefoods. The corporation is owned by tycoon Ramon S. Ang, who was named the Philippines’ second-richest billionaire this year with a reported net worth of $3.4 billion.
The company placed more than 800 workers on “floating status” after losing a bidding process for its warehousing, transportation, and bundling operations. Management also allegedly forced workers to sign documents without clear explanations. The winning agencies that replaced them are subsidiaries also owned by SMC.
As the strike commenced, workers blocked the entry and exit of vehicles carrying SMC materials and products. The industrial complex houses several facilities, including San Miguel Brewery Inc., San Miguel Foods, San Miguel Foods (RTE), Magnolia Ice Cream, and ArchEn Tech. The labor action was launched following unfavorable negotiations with management at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) in Calamba, Laguna.
“It is just for hundreds of workers to bypass legal bureaucratic processes to collectively act and immediately launch their strike as a signal of the intense struggle of the workers,” said Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan-Kilusang Mayo Uno (Pamantik-KMU, or Unity of Southern Tagalog Workers).
The union said it will continue their protest amid the negotiations. The workers have been out of work for nearly a month and are struggling to find income to support their families’ daily needs.
Workers previously slammed the layoffs as a capitalist tactic aimed at union-busting. Prior to the incident, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) issued a decision on April 27 favoring the union’s right to a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had recognized the union as the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent (SEBA) on December 29, 2023, following their victory in the certification of elections in September that same year.
Pamantik-KMU said the layoffs only expose SMC and Ang’s long record of trampling on workers’ right to regular jobs and crushing labor unions. In 2023, similar layoffs occurred at SMILSI plants in Valenzuela City and San Fernando, Pampanga, where workers had also established unions.
“More than ever, the strength and unity of the entire working class are needed now to advance a broader and stronger labor movement in Southern Tagalog and in different parts of the country,” the KMU regional labor center said.
