Phillipines: Police fire on striking workers
All they wanted is to own a piece of land to till for a living. What they got was a piece of mound to lay their bodies to rest till eternity. In a violent strike dispersal in Hacienda Luisita on November 16, 14 people were killed, including two children aged two and five years old who died from suffocation from teargas lobbed by the police and army dispersal teams. One of the victims was allegedly strangled after being shot and his dead body hanged on the factory's gate. At least 35 people were reported to have sustained gunshot wounds, 133 were arrested and detained, hundreds were wounded and another hundred still missing. The majority of those arrested Hundreds of military and police forces with high-powered firearms attacked the picketing workers and thousands of its supporters. As the APC rammed into the workers' barricade, the military and police repeatedly used water cannons, high-powered rifles, truncheons and teargas to disperse the strikers and their supporters and to eventually open the factory gates. Workers' strike for land, wages and jobs More than 5000 sugar mill workers and sugarcane farmers of Hacienda Luisita went on strike last November 6. Members of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU) barricaded factory Gate 2 while members of the United Luisita Workers' Union (ULWU) simultaneously locked up the mill's Gate 1. CATLU is the employees' union while ULWU is the farm workers' union. The strike arose from the deadlock in the negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between CATLU and Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) and the illegal dismissal of 327 farm workers belonging to ULWU last October 1. Among those illegally dismissed were ULWU president and vice president, Rene Galang and Ildefonso Pingul, respectively, and eight other union officers. More than the issue of wage and jobs, land distribution remains to be the major demand of Hacienda Luisita workers. In a statement, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) condemned "in the strongest possible terms the excessive use of military force and the violent dispersal that caused deaths and injuries to the striking farm and sugar mill workers of Hacienda Luisita". "The strike at Hacienda Luisita is more than just a strike. It is a concrete illustration of the lingering social and class struggle between the exploited Filipino people and exploiters from the landlord, big comprador bourgeoisie and capitalist classes", stressed KMU Chairman Elmer Labog. The strike has enjoyed massive support from various communities in Tarlac and other sectors nationwide. On November 15, some 12,000-15,000 people from 10 surrounding communities poured at the picket lines to show support to the workers. Together, they thwarted an earlier attempt of the police and military to dismantle the workers' barricades. At present, the remains of the slain victims lie at the gates of Hacienda Luisita. The victims' family and the two labour unions vowed to parade the bodies of the 14 fatalities as a grim reminder of the brutal carnage. They also averred to regroup and restore the picket lines, stressing that the bloodshed all the more fortified their resolve to continue with the fight. "It is better for us to die fighting than die of hunger", said the workers. Even with the carnage, charges of assault, illegal assembly, inciting to sedition and malicious mischief are being readied against the strikers. The KMU has called for an independent and speedy investigation of the bloodbath. Swift justice should be given to the massacre victims, to their families and to the farm workers. Your support called for Trade unions, other organisations and individuals are urged to send protest and condemnation letters calling for justice and indemnification for the victims of the massacre. Letters may be sent by visiting: http://www.labourstart.organd then clicking onto the Philippines reference under the "Act Now!" column on the left.