By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores and Kasharelle Javier

After four days on strike, Nexperia Philippines Inc. workers achieved a feat in lobbying labor rights after the reinstatement of two of the four dismissed workers and the proposed P50 daily wage increase was granted last March 8.

The labor strike in Cabuyao, Laguna started last March 5, where more than 500 workers halted the production of semiconductors and camped inside the company to protest delays in their union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations and the dismissal of four union leaders.

In her speech to workers and supporters, Nexperia Philippines Inc. Workers’ Union (NPIWU) Vice Chairman for Education Rowena Matienzo recognized their four-day strike as a success in unifying workers. 

“Naging matagumpay ang aming welga dahil pinakita namin ang pagkakaisa ng mga manggagawa. Ito ang lakas para magtagumpay tayo. Mapapatigil natin ang produksiyon kung sama-sama tayong kikilos para ipagtanggol ang ating sahod, trabaho, at karapatan (Our strike was successful because we demonstrated the unity of the workers. This is the strength that will lead us to victory. We can stop production if we stand together to defend our wages, jobs, and rights),” she noted.

Matienzo also underlined how the production halt demonstrates the worth of workers and their labor, as the company turns stagnant without them.

“Pinakita lang natin ang kahusayan at kagalingan ng mga manggagawa sa paglikha ng produksiyon. Walang masasabi ang kapatalista dahil hindi siya marunong lumikha ng produksiyon. Pangunahin lang ang manggagawang makalikha ng produksiyon (We have shown the skills and excellence of the workers in production. The capitalist have nothing to say as they do not know how to create a production. Only the workers are the primary source behind production),” she claimed.

According to NPIWU, Nexperia incurred approximately P1 billion-worth of loss within the four-day idle production.

Although satisfied with the strike’s conclusion, only NPIWU President Mary Ann Castillo and another union official were reinstated. Hence, the union vowed to continue fighting for workers’ rights, including the reinstatement of the remaining two dismissed workers.

“Hindi pa ito ang huling labanan, nagsisimula pa lang ang ating laban. Kaya bukas na bukas din, sisimulan nating magpalakas muli. Kailangang mag-aral tayo upang ang ating kaisipan ay maarmasan ng kaalaman at ang ating tapang ay ating ilalabas sa panahon ng pagkakaroon ng panggigipit,” NPIWU Vice President Antonio Fajardo stated in a speech.

CBA Negotiations

Last November, negotiations for the collective bargaining between NPIWU and the management of Nexperia Philippines Inc. reached a deadlock due to the management’s refusal to grant a fair wage increase, offering only P17, far from the P50 demanded by the union. 

The CBA negotiations officially started in January 2024, alongside a successful fight against the termination of around 600 workers, which resulted in a higher separation package and priority in rehiring for the terminated workers.

Since then, the union has consistently fought for the P50 daily wage increase as well as additional signing bonuses and other improved benefits, through the union’s various collective actions to push for a meaningful wage hike.

Despite these collective efforts, the management of Nexperia refused to budge, offering only P17, which if accepted by the union, would also negatively affect other benefits of the workers. The union rejected the offer and remained firm in its P50 daily wage increase demand.

Contrary to the management’s claim that it ‘does not have the budget’ for a P50 daily wage increase, NPIWU argued that Nexperia employs approximately 1,800 workers, which means the proposed wage hike would amount to an additional P90,000 in daily wages. 

The company’s financial statements indicate that Nexperia earns as much as P400 million a day, suggesting that implementing the P50 wage increase is financially feasible.

In December 2024, four union officers of NPIWU, including union President Mary Ann Castillo, President Antonio Fajardo, Board of Directors member Girlie Batad, and shop steward Marvel Marquez, were dismissed on charges of ‘obstructing ingress and egress’ while conducting a meeting to update union members on their ongoing CBA negotiations.

The union filed for a notice of strike immediately after the four workers’ dismissal.

They initially planned to go on strike last December 21, but were compelled to postpone it as the plan was allegedly leaked to the management.

Upon being rescheduled to February 6, the strike was then blocked by an Assumption of Jurisdiction issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, which prohibits protest activity and obliges workers to return to work.

Blockades amid strike

As the union’s three-month-old plan finally set off, the Nexperia management persisted in enforcing blockades against the protesting workers.

The management turned off the plant’s electricity and water supply in response to the workers’ encampment.

Nexperia’s security guards also deferred attempts made by progressive groups and supporters to supply workers with food, water, medicine, and other utilities.

Due to the supply blockade, labor striker Alvin Reyes was taken to the hospital after suffering from high blood pressure.

In light of the event, the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights issued a statement urging Nexperia to respect the workers’ right to strike, condemning the management’s enforced restrictions as grounds for ‘repression.’

“We are therefore calling on the Nexperia management to respect their workers’ right to strike. Nexperia workers are producing chips that are essential to the functioning of electronic gadgets, which have become vital to people’s lives and the economy. The public will not take it kindly if electronics workers face repression in asserting their rights amidst serious and legitimate grievances,” the statement read.

Moreover, Cabuyao City Mayor Dennis Felipe Hain reportedly ordered a significant police and guard presence to disperse workers and supporters’ picket lines. This action goes against the Joint DOLE-PNP-PEZA guidelines, which limit police personnel’s role to ‘peacekeeping’ during labor disputes.

On the other hand, Laguesma reinforced his return-to-work order issued in February, calling on workers to return to work and Nexperia to resume operations ‘immediately’ on the strike’s third day. However, the workers insisted on continuing the strike.

As they concluded their four-day strike, Nexperia laborers were greeted by the support of various sectors, who trooped to Cabuyao following the International Working Women’s Day program in Manila.

The Nexperia workers’ strike is the first major strike in Southern Tagalog in six years, following the 2019 NutriAsia Inc. labor strike, participated by 400 workers.

Nexperia is a semiconductor company that manufactures chips for the automotive and computing industries. Headquartered in Nijmegen, Netherlands, it is owned by the Chinese company Wingtech Technology.

(Photo by Zedrich Xylak Madrid/FEU Advocate)