“Niyakap ko ang welga.”*: Nexperia union president shares lessons from a historic strike

*I embraced the strike | Photo credit: Neil Ambio/Pinoy Weekly

It was a tension-filled morning on March 5 for Mary Ann Castillo. She and her fellow union members are set to meet again with their employer’s representatives inside the Philippine Labor Department’s central office. 

Months before, they filed a notice of strike to continue asserting their right to job security and livable wages. Instead of agreements and resolutions, they were met with the state’s brute force. In February, even before the strike was set into motion, the Labor Secretary issued an order assuming the jurisdiction of the labor dispute between Nexperia and the union. Through the 1989 Herrera Law Amendments, the Philippine Labor Code grants the secretary this far-reaching power.

Ann is the president of the embattled Nexperia workers union. She had been a worker and a unionist for over 30 years. She started young in Philips semiconductors, which was subsequently bought and renamed NXP, then Nexperia. Their company supplies semiconductors to automotive and consumer electronics. According to her, their plant in Cabuyao Laguna (south of Metro Manila) produces over 7 million products daily, amounting to PHP 420 million (USD 7.32 million) in income.

Despite 23 plant-level negotiation meetings, 3 months of conciliation meetings and two hearings under the Assumption of Jurisdiction, Nexperia did not yield to the workers’ demands. That day, on March 5, after months of efforts to negotiate and all the gruelling preparations, Ann had to make a huge call. The workers have had enough. They are wielding their weapon - the strike.

While the strike notice cites the illegal termination of the four union officials and Nexperia’s refusal to grant a meaningful wage increase, Ann views the strike as much more than that. It is also a fight for justice for the over 600 workers laid off in the past two years. She views this as a culmination of all the hardships and sacrifices they have experienced together.

Photo Credit: ALL Nexperia Fight

“We decided to launch the strike. We did so because it has taken too long. Table battles were no longer productive. Picket protests won’t cut it. We felt we were being undermined, that we were belittled. We were left with no choice but to take a more daring step to assert our rights,” she recalled.

Four days that shook the world

The strike of over 1,000 workers began at 1:42 PM. It lasted for over 74 hours fully halting the company’s operations and cost Nexperia over PHP 1.2 billion (USD 20.9 million). It concluded on March 8, International Working Women’s Day. During the “salubungan,” the striking workers, a majority of whom were women, were in high spirits as they met with their loved ones and the sectors that had supported them in those four historic days. 

The Nexperia workers’ strike is the largest industrial strike in the Philippines in 20 years. It is the first strike of the same union since the Philips strike in 1980s. It created ripples and waves as the workers fought head-to-head with a multinational electronics giant and had overcome despite the government’s collusion with their employer.

Upon the declaration that the strike was concluded, the Nexperia workers had succeeded in securing the reinstatement of 2 out of 4 terminated union officials, securing a USD 1 per day wage increase which will be implemented incrementally in three years, and a clause that states that no retaliatory action should not be directed at the striking workers.

A first of many, a first for many

While their strike was viewed as groundbreaking and inspiring for many, Ann says it’s a first for them too. None of the members had direct experience of joining a strike. She said took a great deal of trust and sacrifice just to even call the strike’s signal fire.

“We told our members that the strike was impending, it could be called anytime. Yet they did not know what day, or what time, or which shift it would fall on. As soon as we filed the strike notice, we knew it was coming. It had to happen.”

Ann shared the preparations they made before the strike. She said they made a concerted effort to study the history of their union, the Philippine labor movement, and even the writings of great social movement leaders to understand what a strike is and how it is conducted. 

They prepared food and clothing inside their lockers. They let their families know what was about to happen. They discussed what the Assumption Order could mean - arrests, termination and repression. They made sure they were ready for the battle to come.

Ann said the greatest challenge was the temperature check. The union leadership perpetually struggled with the question, “Are the members ready? Will they go on strike?” But Ann eventually realized she was asking the wrong question.

“They were always ready. They voted overwhelmingly. The real question was how ready was I as president, how ready was the leadership to actually lead and see this through? We took a leap of faith and we won.”

Ann said it was a life-changing moment. It reaffirmed all the lessons in discussions she had learned as a unionist.

“Niyakap ko ang welga. (I embraced the strike.) It is our weapon. I did not fully understand that until I was in the midst of it. I’ve been telling my fellow workers to trust in the wisdom of those who came before. Those struggles and victories would not have been written and taught if they were not real and had not been fought with blood, sweat and tears.”

Drawing the line

She proceeded to discuss one valuable lesson the strike has taught her - that of enemies and friends. 

During the strike, the workers inside the plant were met with dire conditions. Their electricity source and water supply were cut off at certain points. The canteen was locked to prevent them from accessing food. The logistical support from outside was banned in a food and medicine blockade that the Nexperia management put into effect. All this, and a return to work order issued by the Labor Secretary on the third night of the strike on March 7.

“All I can think of was that it is so unfair. Despite all our pleadings, the Labor Department did not listen to us. But when the capitalist’s profit was already being hurt, they would come to the rescue. It’s been said before that the government is anti-worker. That’s true.”

By seeing all that, she also saw where the workers' hope lies—in their fellow workers. She shared stories of moments that kept her going despite the trials. 

“We had to stand together. Our hope lay in each other. What’s heartwarming was that much of the support came from our fellow workers in LISP 1 (the export processing zone). They aided us in food delivery by carrying the supplies on their motorcycles. Some of them were throwing food items from inside their shuttle bus. Some we don’t even know personally.”

“Our retired co-workers had fear of missing out so they went to the picket line to assist. In a way, they also went on strike. It was such a display of solidarity. Workers for workers.”

The fight carries on

After the successful strike, Ann and her fellow unionists are looking forward to the struggles ahead. They will continue fighting for the reinstatement of the two other illegally terminated officials. They will continue to expand and strengthen the union. She even shared that some non-union members and contractual workers joined the strike inside the plant and joined the union after the experience. 

They will also continue reaching out to other workers in their industry sector and beyond through alliances and campaign activities. Ann shared that seeing the power a union can bring, the Nexperia unionists are determined to help other workers unionize. 

“We have discussed - let us help other workers. Let us help them form their unions. A lot of them want to, they just do not know how.”

Her message to workers who are seeking a way to fight and challenge the oppressive system: “Do not be afraid to unionize. It is your right. It gives you a venue for mutual aid. It gives you the power to defend and assert your rights.”