More than 300 farm workers of Sumitomo Fruits Corporation (Sumifru) camped out in Mendiola, Manila last November 27. The workers trooped to Metro Manila to fight contractualization and assert their demand that the right of their union to collective bargaining be recognized.

They also protested in front of the Department of Labor and Employment headquarters in Intramuros, Manila on November 29 to condemn Sec. Silvestre Bello III’s issuance of Assumption of Jurisdiction which prompted the violent dispersal of their picket and the murder of two strikers.

Meanwhile, the workers gained broad support including those of the Workers Advocates for Rights Network (WARN) and students of the University of the Philippines at University of Santo Tomas.