Workers to hang bras, panties as Triumph factories set to close

MANILA - Members of a workers union said Sunday that they will “hang bras and panties” on the gate and on warehouse fences of their factory in Taguig City on Monday to protest the announcement of the scheduled closure of the factories they have been working in.

Bagong Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Triumph International (BPMTI), in a statement Sunday, said its members will a symbolic protest and hold an assembly “to denounce the illegal and unjust closure of Triumph International Philippines.”

Triumph International, in a statement also released Sunday, said it will cease manufacturing and distribution center operations in the Philippines. It said that Triumph International (Philippines) Inc. and Star Performance Inc. factories in Taguig City will close. The statement said 1,605 employees at the two factories and 57 employees at the company’s head office in Makati City will lose their jobs as a result. It said the factories and offices would close August 28.

Triumph International said the decision was “affected by the global recession and the general downturn in consumer demand. It said it “must take steps to keep its business healthy in such extreme market conditions“ and that it “deeply regrets that any job losses are necessary.”

It also said that its sales and marketing operations in the Philippines would continue. It said it will continue to employ 128 people in these operations. The company manufactures and sells women lingerie.

The company said it also “making every possible effort to ensure that all affected employees are being treated fairly and with respect for their contributions to the company.”

The company statement cited that “severance payment arrangements for employees who will be leaving the company will greatly exceed the requirements of Philippines employment law.”

It said it includes “full wage payment for the period leading up to 28th August and severance payments.” The company also said it will assist employees with support programs and finding new employment with the assistance of DOLE.

Triumph International said the announcement was made in a company meeting Saturday with the companies unions, employee representatives and officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

It admitted however that the leadership of the union in Triumph International (Phils) Inc. and part of the “union faction” of Star Performance Inc. left Saturday’s meeting.

Triumph International said it “intends to reengage the unions into a discussion process in the interest of all its employees.”

“Unjust and illegal”

BPMTI, meanwhile, slammed the decision to close the factories in the Philippines.

“The move of the German multi-national Triumph International is unjust and illegal. It is unjust because company closure only means mass lay-off or destruction of the lives of more than 1000 workers who are bread winners. It is illegal because it violates the Philippine Laws and the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the workers’ union and the Triumph International Philippines Incorporated (TIPI),” said Ka Lita dela Cruz, BPMTI president in the statement of the workers’ union.

The union denounced announced closure calling it “a brazen attack to their rights and welfare and dignity” of the workers who it said “feed and raise money to the German Multi-National [firm]”.

“Year after year, Triumph International profited million and millions of dollars from the fruits of labor of more than 40,000 Triumph workers worldwide,” said the union in its statement.

“Superprofit and cost cutting are the reasons why Triumph International declares closure in the Philippines and massive lay-off of Triumph workers around the globe. The workers are directly sacrificing the brunt of the crisis of overproduction made by the foreign monopoly capitalist,” said dela Cruz in the statement. “It is their profit that must be slashed and workers should not be laid-off,” she added.

The workers’ union also slammed the Arroyo administration and DOLE “for not serving and guarding the interests of the Triumph workers.”

It also alleged that “DOLE connived with the Triumph International management, supported the closure and convinced the workers to accept the offer of the management.”

The workers have already started conducting protests after the company management announced a re-export of the its raw materials to other countries.