Hanjin workers appeal

In a letter dated September 13, 2011, SAMAHAN, the association of workers at the $1.6-billion shipyard project of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines Inc. in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, have called attention to the fatal accidents in Hanjin shipyard, which are reminiscent of the series of accidents that happened there from 2008 to 2009. These accidents have brought on growing discontent among 21,000 strong workforce.

Some excerpts from Hanjin workers’ letter:
The long queues of workers awaiting treatment from the nurses on duty at the small clinic everyday is a testament to how dangerous shipyard work is.

From March to April 2011 there were nine fatal accidents involving 10 workers, where two died in separate incidents (April 11 and April 15). To date, the number of workers that died since May 2006 is now thirty one (31).

Also, from March 28 to May 28, we’ve documented five cases of maltreatment by Korean superiors of Filipino workers involving five workers.

Ironically, the accidents continue to happen amid the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) effort to conduct cultural orientation training and monitoring duties of its Task Force Hanjin.

In fact, last January 30, the Labor Department declared Hanjin as “fully compliant to labor and OHS standards.”

To address this, SAMAHAN (the workers association in Hanjin) wrote several letters to management putting forth the still unresolved issues at the yard:

• Implementation of occupational health and safety standards like provision of PPE and building of an onsite 300-bed hospital facility within the site.

• Prevent maltreatment.

• Provide clean and healthy food.

• Reinstatement of the 40 illegally dismissed workers (suspected of being association and union members).

There was no response. The management even went as far as refusing to sign a received copy of SAMAHAN’s letter.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urge the Senate and House committees on labor and employment to investigate the unusually high incidence of accidental deaths of building workers as well as other Labor Code violations at the Hanjin shipyard in Subic.

We are unsettled by the exceedingly high rate of fatal job accidents at the project site. It could be that Hanjin still has inadequate work safety standards, despite previous tragedies, or the firm has simply engaged too many young and untrained laborers, or both.

It could also be that workers there are under too much pressure to get the job done, thus increasing the risk of accidents.

Considering the high mortality rate, we presume the rate of non-fatal work-related injuries there is also particularly high, although these do not generate as much publicity.

We have also not heard much in media about other Labor rights violations in Hanjin, but as per these workers’ letter, there are a lot.

The TUCP condemns the alleged harassment and maltreatment of workers there and the Hanjin management’s dismissal of workers for joining a union, which is illegal.

We are asking both Houses of Congress to investigate these labor violations as well.

While we welcome the massive shipyard project which has provided gainful employment to thousands of workers, we must also stress that the continuing loss of human lives at the project site is totally unacceptable.

The violation of  workers’ labor rights is also unacceptable.

Like all employers, local or foreign, if you want to set up business here you must follow the Labor Code and all our country’s laws.

ernestboyherrera@yahoo.com