Photo lifted from NAFLU KMU’s Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/T1eqTnyXRUNAZ1Eg/

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), an NGO that empowers workers in the formal and informal sectors of the economy to claim their labor and human rights, raises concerns about the recent incident of state surveillance and intimidation to one of the leaders of worker’s union in CARAGA, which happened on April 16, 2024, at the Libjo, Dinagat Island. Nicolas Gealan, known as “Pangulong Del ” is the President of the Libjo Mining Worker’s Union-NAFLU-KMU, who is working under the Libjo Mining Corporation as a mining worker. According to him, a certain military personnel dressed in civilian clothes visited his house on April 16, 2024, and identified himself as “Rex” and a member of the intelligence force from the Capital. Following the visit, several questions were then asked to Pangulong Del, who intends to know about their future activities and the current status of the members of Libjo Mining Worker’s Union, in which, Pangulong Del answered everything in a respectful manner. However, even before the actual visit of the military personnel, Pangulong Del already noticed that a same man, which he inferred as an intel, was loitering in front of his house almost everyday. It was only on April 16, 2024 that the said man named “Rex ” managed to have a talk with Pangulong Del regarding the conditions of their activities and telling them to avoid commotion and talk to the management instead. Before leaving the house premises of Pangulong Del, Rex took a selfie picture with him using his own cell phone.

It is not unknown to everyone that labor rights abuses are very rampant in the Nickel and Mining Supply Chains on Dinagat Islands. Even with the creation of the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Libjo Mining Worker’s Union (LIMWU) – NAFLU-KMU and the Libjo Mining Corporation (LMC), the continuous surveillances and intimidation on the members of the unions are still alarmingly high with a purpose of oppressing their activities and possibly, harassing them and devoiding them of peace and security.

CTUHR strongly stands with fighting for workers’ rights and their freedom of association against the constant attacks on unions, upholding their freedom of association, and defending the unions.