Solidarity of Asian Trade Unions Foundation

17/06/2026

STATEMENT | Workers in Jeopardy under US’ Pax Silica Initiative

The Solidarity of Asian Trade Unions Foundation (SATU) expresses its concern for Filipino workers, peasants, indigenous communities and residents who will be affected by the Pax Silica initiative and its following developments in New Clark City and surrounding provinces.

While the US government–along with the Marcos Jr. administration, presents Pax Silica as a groundbreaking technological and economic initiative, its intent and long-term effects raise serious concerns about job security, working conditions, displacement, and sovereignty.

The reported allocation of 4,000 acres of land through rent-free agreements primarily caters to the interests of US companies by removing the entirety of “economic security zones” from safeguards and jurisdiction of Philippine law. Workers’ cases and legal disputes in these enclaves will instead be subjected to an international arbitration system, potentially worsening work precariousness and repression, while surrendering control over land and resources in the long-term. Moreover, workers will still be subjected to precarious work, low wages, poor working conditions, while foreign companies under Pax Silica greatly benefit from exploiting cheap and repressed labor, while extracting valuable minerals from our provinces.

While the Pax Silica initiative is being boasted for its job-creation in Central Luzon, the Marcos Jr. administration blatantly disregards the environmental impact of the project, especially for worker and peasant communities in the affected areas. Pax Silica’s devastating transformation of waterways and natural terrain into large-scale data centers and infrastructure will not only displace vulnerable communities, but also significantly erode domestic food production capacity.

The Pax Silica initiative also puts workers’ communities at risk by transforming different parts of the provinces of Central Luzon into enclaves of weapons hubs. By establishing manufacturing sites for armaments and foreign war-aligned tech companies, Central Luzon and the entire country becomes a prime target for retaliatory attacks from opponents of the US in the Asia Pacific. The SATU Foundation asserts that safety and well being of workers and their communities should always be given priority over the strategic interest of major global hegemonic powers.

The SATU Foundation stands in solidarity with all workers, peasants, and communities asserting their rights to higher wages, secure livelihoods, and protected environment.
Economic development must serve the interests of the people. National progress must not come at the cost of workers’ rights, sovereignty, environmental destruction, and displacement of communities.

06/06/2026

A Mass Grave of Corruption: State Neglect and Contractor Greed Buried 27 Workers In Angeles City

The Solidarity of Asian Trade Union Foundation Inc. (SATU Foundation Inc.) stands in solidarity with the familles of the victims of the tragic 9-story building collapse In Barangay Ballbago, Angeles City. Pampanga. We share your grief and remain committed to supporting your fight for justice.

We strongly condemn the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the local government of Angeles City for their failure to protect workers and the public. The death toll has now reached 27, while many others have suffered life-changing injuries. Among those killed and affected were not only construction workers but also some of their family members who were staying in the workers' baracks and nearby accommodations when the building collapsed. This tragedy underscores the grave consequences of negligence and the failure to enforce workplace safety and building regulations.
Financial assistance alone is not justice. No amount of money can replace a lost life or erase the suffering of families who have lost loved ones.

It is shameful that ordinary workers have been left unprotected with weak labor and OSH laws, all while solons in the senate are preoccupied in political drama and self-serving antics.

SATU Foundation calls for urgent amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Law (Republic Act No. 11068). Current penalties are often too weak to deter serious violations. When employers knowingly ignore safety rules and workers die as a result, stronger criminal penalties must be considered.

We also demand a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation of the incident. Those found responsible including contractors, developers, and any government officials who neglected their duties must be held accountable under the law.

At the same time, authorities must continue rescue and recovery operations with maximum urgency and provide immediate psychosocial and financial support to affected families.

We call on trade unions, labor organizations, and concerned citizens to stand together against government negligence and unsafe working coonditions.

Criminalize OSH Violations Now! Justice for all the victims and their families!

26/05/2026

🔥 Nangangailangan ngayon ng tulong ang mga mangggagawa at mamamayan ng Parola Compound (Binondo Side), Manila. Sumiklab ang dambuhalang sunog kahapon, Mayo 23, na sumalanta sa mga bahay at kabuhayan ng mga kababayan natin sa Parola.

Maaaring mag-volunteer at mag-donate ng in-kind o cash para sa mga nasalantang manggagawa at mamamayan. Sa kasalukuyan, nangangailangan ng:
- Pagkain 🥫
- Tubig at lagayan nito💧
- Gamot 💊
- Damit 👚👖
- Hygiene kit 🪥
- Sleeping mats 🏕️
- Kumot 🛏️
- Kulambo ⛺️🦟
- Gamit pangluto 🍳🍴🔪
at iba pa.

Ipadala lamang ang mga donasyon sa:
📍63 Narra Street, Brgy. Claro, Project 3, Quezon City 🏡
o ‘di kaya’y mag-send ng cash donation sa:
📲GCash: 09953869620 | Julie Gutierrez
🏦Eastwest Bank: 200057848889 | Balai Obrero Foundation

13/05/2026

Call for Volunteers and Interns!

Tara na! Be part of the movement for workers’ rights and social justice.

Join us as a volunteer or intern and utilize your skills and talents for meaningful action through research, advocacy, and grassroots work.

Serve the people. Stand in solidarity with workers. Make a difference.

Send your CV/Resume to: [email protected]

13/05/2026

ICYMI: This May Day, we bring the struggle to the streets and directly to the people through our Labor Rights Information Drive, educating workers about their rights and reminding them that these rights should be upheld and defended.

Millions of Filipino workers still face low wages, contractualization, unsafe workplaces, union-busting, and rising prices, while big corporations continue to profit from our labor. Labor rights are human rights, and dignity at work is non-negotiable.

The power of change lies in organized people standing together.

Mabuhay ang uring manggagawa!
Uring manggagawa, hukbong mapagpalaya!
Makibaka, huwag matakot!

13/05/2026

ICYMI: SATU's Legal Aid Clinic and Labor Rights Discussion in Clark, Pampanga and Marilao, Bulacan.

SATU Foundation led discussions about workers' rights and provided legal assistance to workers from different industries and backgrounds. Worker's issues which commonly arose were low wages, longstanding contractualization, and lay-offs.

Join us in solidarity as we learn, empower, and stand up for workers’ rights. ✊

21/04/2026

CALL FOR DONATIONS

In these trying times, workers continue to endure low wages, insecure jobs, and unsafe working conditions. Collectively, let us work together to assist struggling workers’ families affected by the fuel crisis.

Cash donations may be sent through Bank Transfer. You may also drop-off in-kind donations such as rice, canned goods, toiletries, and medicines.

For details and other inquiries, feel free to message our page directly.

Your donations will be of great assistance during this time of uncertainty. Thank you! 🙏❤️‍🔥

20/04/2026

Pagpupugay sa matagumpay na laban ng mga manggagawa ng Kowloon House West! ✊✊✊

Mabuhay ang uring manggagawa!

TAGUMPAY ANG WELGA!
Pahayag ng GLOWHRAIN-KMU Kowloon House West Chapter
April 20, 2026

Matagumpay ang welga ng mga manggagawa ng Kowloon House West matapos ang anim na araw ng tigil-produksyon!

Napagkasunduan ng management ng Katipunan Food Services Inc. at ng unyon ang usapin sa pinag-deadlock ng Collective Bargaining Agreement sa huling usap kasama ang National Conciliation and Mediation Board nitong hapon ng April 20, 2026.

Nasarhan ang anim na probisyon, kabilang ang usapin sa dagdag-sahod na pinagkasunduan sa halagang Php 20. Kinilala din ng management ang pagbabalik sa Service Charges sa porma ng staggard payment.

Makasaysayang tagumpay ang welgang ito na nagpapatibay sa papel ng uring manggagawa na siyang lumilikha ng yaman ng buong daigdig. Ipinamalas ng mga manggagawa na tanging welga ang armas sa paglabag sa karapatan nila at ang kaisahan nila ang siyang magtutulak sa tagumpay.

Nagpapasalamat ang mga manggagawa ng Kowloon House West sa lahat ng mga sumuporta, nagbigay ng donasyon, at nakiisa sa aming laban. Kami ay lubos na tumibay dahil sa suporta ng mga konsyumer at mamamayan.

Bagaman naisara ang usapin ng welga, malayo pa rin sa nakabubuhay na sahod ang ating minimum wage. Mula sa matagal na karanasan, napatunayan sa kasaysayan at sa welga na tanging sa sama-samang pagkilos makakamit ang ating mga karapatan. Kung kaya ang laban ng Kowloon ay laban din para sa iba pang mga manggagawa para makamit ang nakabubuhay na sahod, trabaho, at karapatan.

Papaigtingin natin ang laban mula pabrika hanggang lansangan, at sa papalapit na ay buo ang pasya ng Kowloon House West Chapter na magmulat, mag-organisa at magpakilos!

15/04/2026

Mga kapwa obrero at kababayan, muli kaming dumudulog sa inyo na suportahan ang welga ng mga manggagawa ng Kowloon.

Itinirik ang welga ngayong araw, April 15 2026, bilang tugon sa pagtalikod ng kumpanyang Kowloon sa kahingian ng manggagawa para sa dagdag sahod at bilang paglaban sa mga anti-manggagawang hakbang ng kumpanya.

Sa gitna ng matinding krisis sa langis dulot ng gera, bumagsak na ang halaga ng sahod kaya makatwiran lamang na ipaglaban ito at bigyang suporta ang nakawelgang manggagawa.

Maari pong magdala ng tubig, pagkain at iba pang materyal na suporta sa piketlayn :

Kowloon House West Avenue
16 West Ave. cor Times Street, Q.C.

o magpadala sa pamamagitan ng GCASH

Renz Soriano
09455772427

Julie Ann Gutierrez
09953869620

Maraming Salamat po!

15/04/2026

| Chinese resto strike: workers’ demands should be addressed

As workers of a popular Chinese restaurant launch a strike today, a labor rights NGO said that the workers stand on solid ground, and the management must address their demands.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said that the workers of Kowloon House, a restaurant located along West Avenue in Quezon City, are demanding a modest wage increase to make up for the management’s failure to comply with agreed-upon wage increases in previous years.

“Kowloon workers have been pushed to the wall by the management’s refusal to increase their wages across the years and the worsening economic crisis. They are not asking for too much and their demands deserve to be addressed in a way that advances their labor rights,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

The strike was triggered by the Kowloon management’s insistence on increasing workers’ wages by P13, while workers demand a P25 increase in a negotiation round last April 13 that was mediated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The workers say a P25 wage hike is not really an increase in their wages, as it merely offsets the wage increases that were mandated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement covering 2020, 2021 and 2022 that the management refused to fully implement. They estimate that the total amount denied them by the management has reached P5.5 million in unpaid wages and benefits and P500,000 in service charges.

“The fact that the strike was launched only today indicates that the workers have shown patience and understanding towards their employer, which is not among the biggest corporations in the country. The worsening economic crisis, however, has made it intolerable for them to keep quiet and not fight for a wage increase,” Deligente added.

The Kowloon workers, represented by GLOWHRAIN-KMU – Kowloon House West Chapter, claims that instead of addressing their demand for a wage hike, the management has resorted to various tactics to try to delay and undermine CBA negotiations.

The workers cite (1) delaying the start of CBA negotiations from August 2025 to January this year, (2) using an adjacent business, called “KMN,” to prevent workers from holding protests in the restaurant premises, and (3) refusing to submit audited financial statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission for the past five years and hiding financial data in recent DOLE-mediated negotiations.

“We hope that the labor dispute in Kowloon is resolved immediately and in a way that is favorable to labor rights. We hope that the Kowloon management will draw from its record of listening to its workers’ demands in the past in responding to the ongoing strike,” Deligente added.