Factory workers in Bataan fearing job loss appeal to Adidas

MARIVELES, Bataan: More than 1,000 factory workers of a Korean firm at the Bataan Economic Zone here on Wednesday expressed fear of losing their job if Adidas will not extend its management contract and put in more orders.

The workers in red headband demanded for a fair and equal treatment from Adidas. They asked an extension of the management contract of the German sportswear company with SS Ventures International (SSV) to at least one year with sufficient orders.

At the production area, the workers unfurled placards that read “Adidas we need your support, we need your orders,” “No order no life.”

Lawyer John Ponce, legal counsel of SSV, said Adidas unilaterally declared to terminate the manufacturing agreement by December 31, 2009.

Boy Balite of SSV’s production and planning department said if the agreement will not be extended and the orders for shoes not increased, they face a bleak Christmas and will no longer be employed by the New Year.

Danny de Guzman, president of SSV’s labor management council, went to the extent of blaming Horst Stapf, a German national who is an official of Adidas Footwear Sourcing in Hong Kong.

He and the other workers tagged Stapf as anti-Filipino. “Ginutom kami ng Adidas sa order na mula sa capacity naming 160,000 pairs of shoes a month ay nag-order na lamang ng mula 14,000 to 20,000 pares kada buwan [Adidas has decreased its monthly orders of shoes to 14,000 to 20,000 from 160,000 pairs],” they said.

Balite said from 1,857 workers, presently reporting in the cutting, stitching and assembly departments are from 300 to 400 workers only rendering duties for three days a week.

Nonoy Violeta, product research and development head, said with the reduction in orders of Adidas, more than half of the total workforce of 1,800 has been placed on work leave since May 2009 while those  retained work for an average of three days a week, most of the time on rotation basis.

Janette Tamayo in tears even asked boxing icon Manny Pacquiao to help them with the Nike shoes that he is endorsing. “Tulungan mo kaming maging buyer uli namin ang Nike sapagka’t ito lamang factory ang inaasahan namin [Please help us get Nike back as buyer because this factory is our lifeline],” Tamayo said in her appeal to Pacquiao.

The workers all asked Adidas to give SS Ventures enough time and not to drop the management contract until such a time the Korean shoe factory could find another buyer.

Balite said that they have written to Glenn Bennet of the Adidas Group to help them in their predicament. “We are aware that the little orders placed in our factory is not by reason of economic problem but because Adidas favored other factories in other countries than the Filipinos,” they told Bennet.

They claimed that there is no other shoe factory outside the Philippines similar to their situation. They said it is difficult for them to take that the making of the product, some models of which they helped design and develop, has been transferred to a factory in China.

“Sung Sih Lee, president of SS Ventures, emotionally explained that he has been in Mariveles for 15 years and is after the welfare of his Filipino workers. He said he has appealed to Adidas to give him enough time to look for another buyer.

He said he was not asking for big orders but enought for him to break even so he will not be incurring big losses and his workers could go on working. It was learned that with the reduction in orders of Adidas, the Korean firm has suffered losses of $2.4 million. –Ernie B. Esconde, Manila Times