Laid off workers of Jollibee Food Corporation protested at its Journal Square restaurant in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA on July 6. They were fired after demanding a $3 raise and better working conditions. Their protest action form part of the “Justice For Jollibee Workers” campaign.

The workers called for their immediate return to work, payment of back wages for the days they were fired and an apology from the company for its abuse.

They criticized the restaurant manager’s abuse of power and their unjust termination. Two weeks after the dismissal, Jollibee Journal Square employed replacement workers.

Jollibee should stop its deceptive scheme and give workers dignity, they said.

The Justice for Jollibee Workers campaign revealed that Jollibee workers in the Philippines and other parts of the world are suffering from the same conditions. They receive low wages, while being overworked and abused. There is always a shortage of workers amid heavy workload in its restaurants. Jollibee Foods Corporation implements such policies despite making huge profits every year.

In 2022, the Tony Tan Caktiong-owned company recorded a net income of ₱7.56 billion. This is 19.4% higher than the company’s net income before the pandemic. Caktiong is 7th among the 10 richest Filipinos in the country. Apart from Jollibee, the company also owns Mang Inasal, Chowking, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Smashburger. It has 6,480 different types of restaurants worldwide. It plans to establish up to 600 more restaurants this year, more than the 542 it opened in 2022.

Jollibee is among the biggest 20 companies employing contractual workers. It has 1,150 restaurants in the Philippines and 234 overseas.

Despite the workers’ legitimate campaign in 2018, the company brazenly fired 400 workers fighting for regularization and blatantly ignored the toothless statements of the Department of Labor and Employment.