PRWC
“He is a contractual,” as company Profood International Corporation justifies its denial to help its injured worker at its Mandaue Plant in Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City, Cebu. Isidro Rosell, 62, had an accident on February 20. The ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu group condemned the company’s greed and violation of Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS).
Rosell fell off the truck when loading cocoshells from the factory. Fellow workers immediately helped and took him to a hospital for treatment. The CT Scan showed he had a blood clot in the brain.
According to ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu, the company spent only for the CT Scan. “Since the accident, he has had difficulty in speaking, getting up, seems distant, and has no appetite,” according to the group.
Profood blatantly refused to cover Rosell’s expenses because he is only a contractual in the said factory despite having worked as its stevedore for 18 years. The agency that contracted him at the factory also refused help because he was working under the “pakyaw” system (paid by the workload).
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment-7’s “inspection” of the company was the only promise it made to Rosell’s relatives who came the agency on March 1. The family hopes that DOLE Region 7 will respond immediately and recognize Rosell’s status as a workers of the factory.
Rosell started working at the factory on October 12, 2006. As a contractual worker, he never once received the benefits of 13th month pay, service incentive leave, SSS, PAG-IBIG, and PhilHealth.
According to ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu, factory workers were ordered and even threatened not to spread word and to keep silent regarding the accident. This kind of incident is not the first in their factory since there have been many similar incidents in the past, according to workers.
Profood International Corporation is known for producing dried food products such as dried mango, coconut, pineapple and others. The company is owned by Justin S. Uy and currently has 15 factories nationwide.
“Profood International Corporation should be held accountable for their negligence and violation,” according to ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu. They demand that Rosell and his other contractual co-workers toiling at the factory for decades be recognized as regular workers. They should also be granted, according to the group, job security, living wages, benefits, safe and humane workplaces, the right to unionize and so on.
