TUCP wins Subic Technics, Inc. Certification Election

Eighty-three voted “yes” and 43 no -- out of 126 voters at the certification election at Subic Technics Inc. last July 30, 2002. This is TUCP's fourth accredited union in Subic Bay Freeport Zone; win number nine in the 21st month of TUCP's Anti-Sweatshops campaign. This brings the total to 51 accredited TUCP unions (11,400 workers) in economic zones, in the EPZ campaign which started in 1996.

Subic Technics, Inc. is a Taiwanese-owned maker of Radio Shack, Sennieser, and Optimus microphones for export to the U.S., Korea, China, and Taiwan. There are 205 employees in the company (180 women) in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone plant. They receive P188 per day, P36.50 short of the region’s minimum wage. Employees work eight hours six days a week.

Forced overtime is common.  At times, workers work until 11 p.m. (15 straight hours!) without break "to meet orders".  Employees who fail to comply with compulsory overtime work are dealt with severely, with notices of offence or suspension. In one instance, shortly after a letter for voluntary recognition of the union was sent to the management, a woman worker collapsed due to hunger and fatigue.

The company's financial statements revealed profits which are not equitably shared with workers. The company does not provide a transportation service though the company is 5 kilometers away from the bus station.

Workers complain of termination without due process.  There is no clear policy on transfer of workers.

From the first contact in July 2001, to the organizational meeting 1n October 2001, to the series of seminars on Trade Union Rights, ILO Core Conventions, LMCs and Productivity, Gender and Women issues, organizers and union officers moved quickly. The union’s registration documents were filed on December 21, 2001. The Certificate of Creation of Local Chapter TUCP No. 2 was issued by BLR on the same day.

In response, the company demoted union members, decreased employees’ benefits and took away performance incentives. The union president was demoted to the repair section from the Research and Development Department.

On February 4, 2002, the Union, fed up with all the harassment and discrimination, filed a Notice of Strike (NOS).  On the same day, the Union filed for a Certification Election to show its strength.

In the third NOS hearing on March 6, 2002, a chastened management settled and restored wages and rank of the union president. He remains on forced leave (with pay).

The DOLE (labor department) was on the ball in this case; the med-arbiter issued on April 18, 2002 an order for the immediate conduct of the CE -- a process which normally took 9-12 months in this region. The election took place in July 30, 2002.

Verifiers, organizers, union officers and volunteers from TUCP unions in Subic, Laguna, Cavite and Tarlac joined hands and went house-to-house to campaign for the union in the five days run-up to the election. They were so good they even convinced a member of a church which is against unions to vote in favor of the union.

They distributed leaflets instantly responding to management leaflets threatening closure if the union wins, blacklisting for union members, and disinformation on fines and union dues.

Management tried to control who voted and when, and violated agreements made during the pre-election conference. It scheduled an irregular 2nd shift which did not allow some union members to vote. They paid five union members who filed illegal termination cases against the company P50,000 each as "separation pay" the day before the election to disqualify them from voting. Five active union members in the factory floor were not called to vote and were not able to vote. Yet management fetched a sick worker from his house to vote. All these proved fruitless.

After the election, the workers were forced to work overtime. An administrative officer, peeved at the loss, told the lead organizer the company will be closing down.

The workers and their union are bargaining for security of tenure and better benefits. “Gusto namin, may union na kung magsasara ang kompanya.” The workers say they can rely on the union when the company closes down. "They can't take this victory away from us."