More than 100 workers of Dream Builders Pro Inc (DPI) began their strike on March 18 after union leaders and active members were unjustly and arbitrarily fired. The company is the construction arm of real estate developer Filinvest Land Inc, a subsidiary of the Gotianun family-owned company Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC). The union staged the strike at the company’s warehouse in Manna East, Barangay Dalig, Teresa, Rizal.

According to the workers, DPI used to employ workers directly. When it heard about the imminent formation of a union, it suddenly entered into a “subcontracting” contract with a manpower agency.

On the strike’s first day, police and DPI private guards went to the workers’ tent. This violates workers’ rights even under the reactionary law that bans the armed forces to interfere in matters between workers and capitalists. It states that only the Department of Labor and Employment can intervene in labor disputes such as strikes. It also prohibits the presence of police and armed forces within 50 meters of the picketline.

The union insists that they have complete documents required for their strike such as notice of strike or NoS, strike result, minutes of negotiation, and other documents. They filed their NoS last February at the DOLE office in Intramuros.

FLI’s net income increased by 30% to ₱3.77 billion in 2023. It recorded a ₱22.55 billion or 13% growth in its consolidated revenue for that year from ₱19.94 billion revenue in 2022.

FLI has contracts for housing projects worth ₱8.7 billion last year in Rizal, Laguna, Pangasinan, Cebu, Davao, South Cotabato, Zamboanga, and Iloilo.