According to bulatlat.com, 473 warehouse workers employed by DHL Supply Chain are on strike in Cabuyao City, Laguna, following management’s announcement of a facility closure and mass terminations scheduled for August 31.
Union Certification Precedes Shutdown Announcement
The dispute intensified on July 21, during the first conciliation conference before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board. Instead of initiating collective bargaining, DHL management distributed redundancy notices to all 473 employees, specifying pre-computed separation packages and setting August 31 as the termination deadline. The timing drew immediate scrutiny: the Sucat warehouse shutdown was announced just days after the DHL United Workers Union (DUWU) won its certification election and was officially recognized as the sole and exclusive bargaining representative.
The union contends that DHL’s stated rationale — the alleged expiration of its contract with Robinsons Supermarket — is unsubstantiated. Workers recall a town hall meeting where management announced a three-year contract extension with Robinsons Supermarket set to run through the end of 2025. To date, DHL has refused to provide documentation verifying contract termination.
DHUW President Napoleon Aromin, who led the organizing campaign, emphasized the causal link between union recognition and operational dismantling. “DHL is clearly punishing us for daring to stand up for our constitutional rights, the right to organize and collectively bargain,” Napoleon Aromin said. “This leaves us with no choice but to exercise another constitutional right, the right to strike.”
Alleged Union-Busting Tactics and Legal Violations
The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) condemned the move as a deliberate evasion of collective bargaining obligations. CTUHR Executive Director Kamz Deligente stated: “We are very alarmed that DHL declared a sudden shutdown to evade bargaining with its newly certified workers’ union. The threats of redundancy and refusal to negotiate are unacceptable.”
CTUHR further noted that DHL is a signatory to a Global Framework Agreement with the International Transport Workers Federation and UNI Global Union, committing the company to uphold freedom of association and constructive labor relations globally. Yet, local management’s actions contradict those commitments, violating workers’ rights to security of tenure under the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the Labor Code.
The union also highlighted persistent wage distortion issues dating back to 2018, underscoring the long-standing need for formal collective bargaining — a process DHL has consistently avoided in favor of termination notices and facility closures.
Runaway Shop Allegations and Calls for Intervention
On the 10th day of their strike, workers escalated protests to DHL’s Sta. Rosa warehouse in Laguna, accusing the company of operating it as a “runaway shop” — a facility used to relocate operations and sustain business while eliminating unionized jobs at the Sucat site. This practice, they argue, allows DHL to continue servicing clients like Robinsons Supermarket without engaging with its certified union.
Kamz Deligente characterized such tactics as systemic: “The practice of suddenly claiming that a facility is closing or that contracts have expired whenever workers form a union is an old union-busting tactic that must end.”
The union has demanded written assurance of the right of first refusal for affected workers should DHL resume operations at the Sucat warehouse or transfer those functions elsewhere. DHL has not issued such a commitment. CTUHR has formally called on the Marcos, Jr. administration and Labor and Employment Secretary Francis Tolentino to intervene and uphold statutory labor protections.
Source: bulatlat.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
