The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) condemned J&T Express for its anti-worker policies and repression against its workers and union. Workers oppose attempts to bust the union and unfair treatment. To fight, workers staged strikes in Manila and Pampanga.

In Manila, around 100 riders and truck drivers of J&T Express staged a strike on March 3. Led by PH Global Jet Express Inc. Employees Union (PHGJEIEU), they set up the protest center at the company’s garage in Hermosa, Tondo.

Workers complained about long-standing contractualization for “on-call” workers, unjust transfers of regular employees to other agencies, union busting, and other labor rights violations.

On March 7, J&T Express management and the union held a meeting at the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), where both parties agreed to resolve their issues. However, just days later, more than 100 drivers and riders, including the union president and other officials, were suspended for 30 days.

“The suspension by J&T management of the union president, union officials, and other workers are clearly retaliatory actions against the workers and their strike,” according to CTUHR. The group condemned the company not only for violating its agreement with the union but also for blatantly violating rights to unionize, collectively bargain, and strike.

In Pampanga, the Kilusan ng Manggagawa sa J&T Express Pampanga staged a strike on March 26. The union protested management’s breach of their collective bargaining agreement, union busting, and illegal dismissal of six officials.

“The J&T management is displaying a worrying anti-worker behavior in its Manila and Pampanga workplaces. It should listen to its workers who are merely asserting their basic labor rights,” according to CTUHR.

The group called on the Department of Labor and Employment and the government to ensure that J&T recognizes and upholds workers’ rights.

J&T Express is a delivery and logistics company established in August 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Currently, J&T Express has over 350,000 employees worldwide and operates in 13 countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, China, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates. The company has over 600 branches in the Philippines.