[APWSLMembers 227] Philippine Toyota workers struggle update (TMPCWA)

[Oidon]

Dear Friends and Supporters of TMPCWA,

Warmest greetings!

On behalf of the members of TMPCWA I would like to thank you all in
supporting our struggle.

I am sending some information about the new situation after the toyota
management refuse to accept to work the illegally dismissed members of
TMPCWA.

The situation:

After the Certification Election on February 16, 2006, as of this time
there is no result from the Department of Labor and Employment. The
company union TMPCLO failed to get the simple majority vote of 50% + 1,
even they have the support of the management. TMPCWA manage to get some
237 votes from inside workers and 89 votes from illegally dismissed
members of TMPCWA that place as a challenge votes by the conniving Labor
Department, Toyota management and its Sponsored company union TMPCLO.

because of this, the management again return to table to negotiate with
TMPCWA by the effort of the IMF. The General Secretary Marcello
Mallentacchi, Asst. Gen. Secretary Brian Fredricks and Dir. for the
South Asia Pacific Region Arunasalam together with IMF Toyota affiliated
unions from South Africa, Britain, Thailand, Australia and Japan, visit
the Philippines to support the TMPCWA illegally dismissed members to
bring back to work. The IMF together with the TMPCWA faced with the
Toyota management in the table to strongly insist the reinstatement of
some 136 remaining members of TMPCWA that belongs from the original 233
illegally dismissed by Toyota since March 16, 2001.

The IMF effort started from last year August 2005 to meet the management
in Tokyo japan together with TMPCWA to discuss the reinstatement. It
continued until February 6, 2006 on the hands of the IMF-JC but the
company refuse to reinstate the dismissed members even there are three
recommendations from the ILO favoring TMPCWA as well as the final
decision of the highest court of the Philippines - the Supreme Court
favoring also the TMPCWA on its final decision to start the negotiation
September 23, 2003 and January 28, 2004.

The February 6, 2006 meeting negotiation of TMPCWA and the management is
the last meeting after TMPCWA noticed that the company is only using the
venue to complete the plan of totaly destroying the TMPCWA in its design
of new certification election. And because the management sponsored
union TMPCLO is not get the simple majority and the issue of CE still
pending in the Court, the company again agreed to bring back the
negotiation but now it handled by its general headquarters.

The situation is getting worst now. The IMF is trying to unite the two
unions (TMPCWA and TMPCLO) to stablish a joint committee to negotiate
with the company for a collective bargaining agreement but first to
discuss the reinstatement. TMPCWA agreed on the proposal to show respect
and to build relations among the other union and unite together, but the
leaders of TMPCLO is very closed to the management Toyota. Toyota and
TMPCLO leaders position is the same - to open the challenge voters
pending in the COurt, while TMPCWA seeks CBA negotiation with the
company.

TMPCWA gather signature campaign Petition for immediate CBA negotiation
after the election because we still the existing bargaining agent.  in
Three weeks we gather 437 signatures including the dismissed members,
but it was block by TMPCLO when they launch together with the management
new Petition and gathering signature to open the challenge voters that
they will use in the Court.

We are calling all the supporters of TMPCWA as well as other global
union federations to help us and IMF expose and launch strong actions
internationally and coordinated. Its just a time for all the workers in
the world to help together and help the very long struggle of TMPCWA to
find justice, because the fight of Philippine Toyota workers is the
fight of the workers of the world against the powerful Multi-national
and trans-national Toyota.

Please circulate this information to all of your friends and send a
message to us for a possible help.
tmpcwa at edsamail.com.ph
tmpcwa1998 at yahoo.com

Pls visit our website www.tmpcwa.org

We will let you inform of the updates and the coordinated actions
internationally.

this is all and thank you very much!

International Solidarity!

Ed Cubelo
President - TMPCWA
March 31, 2006