November 17, 2019 — Various labor groups across the country aired their support for the 23 Regent foods Corporation workers who went on to strike against the company last November 9.

Defend Job Philippines, Regent Food Workers Union and the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Regent Food Corporation stand in line with Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto’s public statement on the long-standing labor disputes within the company and the violent dispersal of the unions’ picket line strike in Pasig and Taguig City.

Sotto warned the management to rethink its positions against its workers if they still “want to have a healthy relationship with the city.” He also defended the workers’ right to strike and a strong message against the Regent management condemning the misuse of privileged position to suppress the rights of protesting workers.

The strike led to arrests and more than a week of detention of 20 striking workers, 2 volunteers of Defend Job Philippines and 1 tricycle driver.

The young mayor vowed to help in the bail and the process for the immediate release of the 11 remaining detained workers and their supporters who are still in detention at the Pasig City Police Headquarters. The relatives of the 12 others have initiated hard enough to raise the bail for their release last Friday.

“As the local chief executive of Pasig City, we believe that Mayor Sotto’s open statement of support to the striking and protesting workers of Regent Food Corporation is instrumental and beneficial in proving the justness of the aired grievances of the labor unions as they mounted their strikes in Pasig City and Taguig City,” the joint statement of the labor groups said.

“The statement must also serve as a strong message against the Regent management and its cohorts who planned and executed the illegal, violent and overkill dispersal of the labor strike last week.”

The labor groups also called for the prosecution of those involved in the dispersal namely, Irwin and Susan See, the Social Justice Security Agency, the officials of the National Capital Region Police Office, Chito Herbolingo as the military agent-provocateur, and Marvin Nocillado as the bogus labor leader of the Regent management.

“It is them that must be held accountable over their long list of abuses against their workers including decades-long of contractualization, low wages, unpaid benefits, unfair labor practices, violation on their rights to union and strike, runaway shop attempts among others.”