[APWSLMembers 274] Management of multinational food company Dole refuses to issue position on Collective Bargaining Agreement with agricorp's plantation and cannery workers

[Kilusang Mayo Uno]

KMU NEWS RELEASE
June 29, 2006

Management of multinational food company Dole refuses to issue 
position on Collective Bargaining Agreement with agricorp's 
plantation and cannery workers

Workers from National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno 
(NAFLU-KMU) today staged a picket protest in front of Dole 
Philippines' (DoleFil) Makati office. NAFLU member union, Amado 
Kadena (Asosasyon ng mga Mamumuo sa Dolefil Alang sa Kalingkawasan ng 
Demokrasya sa Nasud), the local union of DoleFil workers and 
employees in Dole's 14,000 hectares plantation, cannery and packaging 
plant in Polomolok, South Cotabato is now at odds with the 
management. DoleFil workers are accusing the management of the 
multinational company of negotiating in bad faith.

Antonio Pascual, NAFLU-KMU Secretary-General, shared that both 
parties have specified talking points on the CBA negotiation, but 
when talks actually started, the management nixed these agreed agenda 
and demanded instead that the union trim down its already modest proposals.

Since April 25 this year when the negotiations for the Collective 
Bargaining Agreement (CBA) began, the management has consistently 
failed to reply to some 72 items and CBA provisions presented by the 
union. "From the first to fifth meetings for CBA negotiations, the 
management never issued their position on the economic and 
non-economic provisions of the union's CBA proposal," said Pascual. 
Salient provisions being ignored by DoleFil management include wage 
increase and regularization of contractual employees.

"Rather than discuss the DoleFil workers' just demands, the 
management is trying to take back some benefits that the union and 
the management had previously agreed upon in past CBAs. DoleFil is 
unilaterally attempting to take away the workers' paid short breaks 
and individual break time; management is also trying to hike from 20% 
to 50% the provision for hiring relievers; they're also trying to 
take away the workers' rice allowance - these are just some of the 
management's attempts to slash the DoleFil employees's benefits," 
Pascual said.

According to its public profile, Dole earned US$ 5870.60 million last 
year and grew 10.40%. Massive cost-cutting measures including job 
cuts have reportedly helped boost Dole's worldwide earnings. The 
company is notorious for its various practices of economic repression 
in the Philippines, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and 
other banana exporting countries.

Dole is the world's largest producer of high-quality fresh fruits, 
vegetables and cut flowers. In the Philippines, Dole has introduced 
food products as fresh and packaged fruits. Its product lines range 
from canned pineapple solids, canned mixed fruits, canned beverages, 
packaged fruit snacks to tomato sauce.

Dole has been operating in the Philippines for 43 years now. It has 
been awarded with ISO 14001 Certification in 1999. ###




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