Workers from the Wyeth Philippines Progressive Workers Union condemned the multinational company Nestle’s plan to lay off 16,000 workers in its factories worldwide over the next two years. They are certain that this will affect the company’s workers in the Philippines, who are currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement or CBA.

The company announced it will dismiss workers as a “cost-cutting measure.” It also cited automation, AI, and digitalization as reasons.

“After we poured our blood and sweat into our work and loved the company ‘Nestle Good Food, Good Life,’ they will kill the livelihoods of workers and our families,” the union said. In 2023, 140 Philippine factory workers were dismissed in the name of cost-cutting and restructuring.

The union denounced the collusion between the government and capitalists, who use neoliberal policies such as work flexibilization, contractualization, and automation to dismiss workers.

Consequently, the union is not only fighting for higher wages and benefits in its negotiations with the company but also pushing for job security and regularization.

“We must further strengthen and fortify our unity. This is no longer just a fight for wages—it is a fight for job security and livelihood for our families,” the union declared. It called on workers to “unite, resist, and fight against the capitalists’ use of neoliberal policies to assault workers and seize back our victories in wages, jobs, and rights for the sake of pocketing enormous profits.”

On October 24, Wyeth Philippines workers held a protest in front of their factory to condemn the company for wage suppression in the ongoing CBA negotiations. They also expressed solidarity with the Black Friday Protest against corruption. They also held a similar protest on October 17.

“As we call for meaningful wage and benefit increases, we also join the demand to hold those thieves in the government accountable,” the union said.