Workers from the Manila Harbour Centre (MHC), led by the Harbour Centre Workers’ Union (UMHC), held a protest before the Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) office in Manila yesterday, November 4. They condemned the local agency for its inaction in implementing the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate the illegally dismissed workers.

The decision pertains to the Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc. (HCPTI) dismissal of over 370 workers in January 2020. The company cited the expiration of its contract with labor agency Grasials Corporation as the reason for the dismissal. The workers opposed this and insisted on their right to gainful employment. In September 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in their favor and ordered the company their reinstatement.

As part of their struggle, the dismissed workers set up a picket line on Road 10, Manila City in November 2022 to assert their right to return to work. HCPTI’s security personnel and goons violently dispersed the picket line. In addition to demanding their reinstatement, the union also called for the payment of back wages from the time they were dismissed.

In their latest protest, the union lit candles to remember their deceased colleagues who have passed away while waiting for the implementation of the court’s decision.