The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), an NGO that seeks to empower workers in the formal and informal siionectors to claim their labor and human rights, raises concerns over union-busting in Dreambuilders Pro Inc. — the construction arm of well-known real estate developer Filinvest.

Dreambuilders Pro Inc retrenched the leaders and members of Dreambuilders Equitable Alliance of Labor or DEAL — the workers’ union and  shifted from direct hiring to subcontracting through a manpower agency when it found out about the union’s existence since last year.

Most of the workers have been with the company since the start of the development of the Manna East warehouse, with employment ranging from three  to five years. Many workers were forced to work for more than 20 hours a day, even under scorching heat or rains. There are also cases where overtime work, night shift differential, and other benefits were not properly compensated. Personal protective equipment were not maintained in a timely manner to ensure workers’ safety.

The Dreambuilders Pro Inc workers were left with no choice but to go on strike on March 18, 2024 at the company warehouse in Manna East, Barangay Dalig in Teresa, Rizal.

The strike shows how Filinvest uses contractualization to prevent contractuals from forming unions — and prove again that contractualization truly violates workers’ right to self-organization and to collective bargaining. It shows that despite former President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise, contractualization persists under the government of President Bongbong Marcos Jr despite its promises to uphold labor and human rights.

We condemn this yet another case of union-busting through retrenchments. The Dreambuilders Pro Inc workers’ case only shows Filinvest’s greed and refusal to  reduce its profits when workers assert improvements in working conditions. The government should immediately investigate the case and work for the reinstatement of the workers who were retrenched. Unionization is never a legitimate reason for retrenching workers.

The violations of labor rights are unacceptable. The Dreambuilder Pro Inc workers’ strike shows that despite the expansion of real estate business in the country, construction workers grapple with extreme exploitation and repression. Despite its slogan “We build the Filipino dream,” top real estate company Filinvest left its construction workers to live in a nightmare while it reaps multi-billion profits. It also contributes to joblessness and hunger in the country.

We support the Dreambuilders Pro Dreambuilders Equitable Alliance of Labor (DEAL) — Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (SUPER) — Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP). DEAL-SUPER-BMP deserves the broadest support, as all workers when they form unions to improve their working conditions. ###