Workers of San Miguel Integrated Logistics Services Inc. (SMILSI) staged a protest on July 4 to demand the immediate reinstatement of approximately 800 company employees who were abruptly terminated.

Together with the group Defend Workers Southern Tagalog, the workers condemned the sudden notice from company management that barred employees in Sta. Rosa and Crossing, Calamba, from entering work starting July 6.

According to the group, the workers were placed on “floating status” without pay and benefits after the company allegedly lost the bidding process for its warehouse, transportation, and bundling operations. Management also forced workers to sign documents without clear explanations.

SMILSI is a major logistics company that handles dry goods, cold goods, and ready-to-eat products for well-known brands like Magnolia and Purefoods under San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

According to the workers, the mass termination is merely a capitalist tactic to dissolve their legitimate union. Prior to the incident, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) issued a decision on April 27 favoring the union USMILSI-IND regarding their right to a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Before this, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had also recognized the union as the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent (SEBA) on December 29, 2023. This came after they won the Certification of Elections in September of the same year.

The group criticized what it called the company’s continuous violation of labor rights despite the decisions of courts and government agencies. According to the union, workers’ wages remain pegged at the minimum wage, while contractualization remains rampant within the workplace.

The workers noted the massive gap between their condition and that of Ramon S. Ang, the chief of SMC. Ang was identified this year as the second-richest billionaire in the Philippines, with a net worth valued at $3.4 billion.

USMILSI-IND and Defend Workers Southern Tagalog urged the San Miguel management to take responsibility for what they called an illegal termination, reinstate the affected workers, and face fair negotiations for the CBA.