Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (Philippines)

Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (Philippines) A labor and human rights NGO in the Philippines working for empowerment of workers
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In the spirit of solidarity to fight state repression and to restore workers’ inherent right to life and dignity, the Center for Trade and Human Rights (CTUHR) was conceived by a group of religious people, labour rights advocates and trade unionists in 1984. CTUHR’s purpose is to confront state and capitalist’s human rights violations not with an equally evil force but with an awareness that stren

gth and emancipation lies in the hands of the workers’ themselves and in solidarity with the poor and the oppressed. CTUHR is committed to the cause of advancing genuine, democratic, nationalist and militant trade unionism. It is against all forms of deception and coercion that seeks to derail this cause. The Center believes that repression can and has taken on different and subtle forms like labour legislations, and flexible employment schemes, amongst others and therefore devotes herself to exposing these devious moves.

Statement | Pax Silica brings credible threats to workers, nation As the Philippines celebrates its independence day ami...
14/06/2026

Statement | Pax Silica brings credible threats to workers, nation

As the Philippines celebrates its independence day amidst discussions of the country’s recent membership in a US-led supply chain alliance, a labor NGO said that despite grand promises of employment and economic development, the alliance poses bigger threats for workers and all Filipinos.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said that while the benefits of the Philippines’ membership in Pax Silica – which aims to secure supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), minerals and digital infrastructure for the US – are vague, the dangers of conflict and war are real.

“From June 12, 1898 to Pax Silica, the lesson is the same: we cannot rely on the US, or any global power, to advance the interests of workers and all Filipinos. If we want independence, employment, industrialization and development, we have to act on our own,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

The labor NGO recalled that when General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the country’s independence 128 years ago, he did so, according to the text of the declaration of independence, “under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America.”

“Pax Silica’s promises of employment, industrialization and development are vague. They are just being used to sell the alliance to the public. Let us not kid ourselves. Pax Silica is primarily a security move, and the threat of conflict and war that it brings is real,” added Deligente.

CTUHR added that the Philippines has been following US-endorsed economic policies for decades, yet the country still has to generate sufficient decent jobs for Filipinos, industrialize the economy, and attain economic development.

“The government and other groups speaking up on the issue are just trying to entice workers and all Filipinos to approve of the country’s membership in Pax Silica. They try to hide the fact that the alliance is mainly about US interests, not Philippine interests,” Deligente added.

CTUHR said that Pax Silica is visibly and widely-believed to be a US scheme aimed at isolating and weakening China while trying to strengthen the US’ biggest industrial base, its military-industrial complex.

“The country’s disputes with China over the West Philippine Sea and other matters can be resolved peacefully. Pax Silica is dragging us deeper into aligning with the US in its conflict with China, which can become violent. That is not in the interests of workers and all Filipinos,” Deligente stated.

Sa Paggunita sa Araw ng Kalayaan, nakapiit pa rin ang mga unyonista at mga manggagawang sinampahan ng gawa-gawang kaso s...
12/06/2026

Sa Paggunita sa Araw ng Kalayaan, nakapiit pa rin ang mga unyonista at mga manggagawang sinampahan ng gawa-gawang kaso sa pamamagitan ng mga tinanim na ebidensya laban sa kanila.

Sila ay unyonista’t manggagawang nananawagan ng pagtaas ng sahod at ng pagpapababa ng presyo, mga unyonista’t manggagawang walang nais kundi ang kahit papaano ay lumaya mula sa kahirapan, mga unyonista, manggagawa at mga aktbista na binusalan at pinatahimik gamit ang rehas ng kulangan.

Sa kabilang banda, malaya ang mga korap at magnanakaw.

Kaya, tunay nga ba tayong malaya?

Photos | 𝑁𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑛?Ngayong Biyernes, Hunyo 12, nakibahagi an...
12/06/2026

Photos | 𝑁𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑛?

Ngayong Biyernes, Hunyo 12, nakibahagi ang CTUHR sa pagtitipon ng mga manggagawa, unyonista, at iba’t ibang sektor ng mamamayan sa Kalaw Avenue, Maynila upang ilantad ang huwad na kalayaan sa Pilipinas at labanan ang pandarambong, pagsasamantala, at sistemang nagpapahirap sa sambayanan.

Bago pa man makarating sa U.S. Embassy Manila, sinalubong na ang mga nagprotesta ng mga metal barrier na pinalilibutan ng barbed wire at mahigpit na binabantayan ng daan-daang pulis. Sa kabila ng mga harang, hindi napigilan ang iba’t ibang hanay na patuloy na igiit ang kanilang mga panawagan para sa makatarungang sahod, seguridad sa trabaho, ligtas na kondisyon sa paggawa, at paggalang sa karapatan ng mamamayan. Kabilang sa mga pangunahing panawagang bitbit ng hanay ng paggawa ang pagbasura sa Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) at Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), gayundin ang paglaban sa mga giyerang agresyon ng US at sa lumalalang krisis pangkabuhayan.

Mahigit isang siglo na mula nang unang ideklara ang kalayaan ng bansa, ngunit nananatili pa rin ang mga parehong hinaing at ipinaglalaban. Hangga’t may manggagawang pinagkakaitan ng karapatan, may pamilyang isinasadlak sa kahirapan, at may mga panawagang hindi pinakikinggan, mananatiling huwad ang kalayaang taon-taong ipinagdiriwang.

Tuloy ang laban para sa tunay na kalayaan ng manggagawa at buong sambayanan!

| BPO company’s layoffs, rights violations should be probed A labor NGO today threw its support behind employees of th...
10/06/2026

| BPO company’s layoffs, rights violations should be probed

A labor NGO today threw its support behind employees of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector who are calling for an investigation into layoffs and alleged rights violations being carried out by a leading company operating in its three sites that are affecting more than 1,500 workers

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) backed the BPO Industry Employees Network’s (BIEN) call that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) investigate job cuts and labor rights violations undertaken by BPO company TTEC (formerly TeleTech) in Novaliches, Cebu, and Iloilo.

“Various reports show that something is going on in TTEC sites across the country and it is negative for workers’ rights. The layoffs and violations of labor rights should stop, and the DOLE must step in immediately into the issues facing TTEC employees,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

According to more than 200 employees interviewed by BIEN, TTEC has allegedly pressured workers to resign with the threat that refusing to do so would damage their employment records and result in losing gratuity benefits; deactivated systems without explanation; and accused employees of wrongdoing without evidence.

The employees also complained that the company subjected workers to an unspecified “floating status”; “verbal humiliation, public shaming, intimidation, and fear”; non-payment and late release of benefits; and retaliation when they speak up against unfair management practices.

“Issues between BPO companies and their clients are not legitimate excuses to set aside employees’ job security and labor rights. Employees are different from management. What appears to be a systematic effort cannot be blamed on employees,” Deligente stated.

The management actions cited above occurred after leading American telecommunications company Verizon, TTEC’s client, found out that TTEC “orchestrated systematic manipulation of customer surveys and account metrics to secure higher rankings and incentives from the client.”

“It is deeply disturbing when companies that are perfectly capable of upholding and advancing workers’ rights are flagrantly violating those rights. The Philippine government should step in into this issue to ensure that workers are not treated like trash by big corporations,” Deligente added.

Online information about TTEC Philippines states that the company is one of TTEC’s biggest regional operations, has 18 sites across the country, and employs more than 23,000 people. Verizon, meanwhile, is one of the biggest telecommunications companies in the world, with USD 134 billion in revenue, and with 90,000 employees worldwide.

| Gardenia should end CBA violations A labor NGO today criticized the leading manufacturer of packaged bread in the co...
09/06/2026

| Gardenia should end CBA violations

A labor NGO today criticized the leading manufacturer of packaged bread in the country for violating its collective bargaining agreement (CBA), in light of a case filed by the company’s workers before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) related to the issue.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) cited workers’ claims that Gardenia Bakeries (Philippines), Inc., which has a plant located in the Laguna International Industrial Park, in Biñan, Laguna, has been discriminating against union members and reducing its regular workforce, contrary to provisions of the existing CBA.

“CBAs are meant to improve the state of labor rights. Their non-implementation is a setback for workers, especially amidst worsening economic conditions in the country,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

The Gardenia workers also held protests in February and March this year, claiming that the management refused to implement CBA provisions on adjustments to wage distortions that were supposed to be released in October 2025 but which the management moved to December 2025.

“The cost of living has been increasing steadily, so any increase in their wages is valuable for workers. Workers oppose discrimination against union members and contractualization of work forces as these weaken their unions and capacity to work for improvements in their labor rights,” Deligente added.

The labor NGO said that the Gardenia management must live up to the “Employer of the Year” award given by the city of Biñan in May this year, as the award recognizes the company for “creating employment opportunities” and “demonstrating excellence in workplace practices by providing good working conditions and benefits to its employees.”
https://www.gardenia.com.ph/gardenia-receives-employer-of-the-year-award-from-city-of-binan/

“Employers should take pride not only in providing employment but in providing decent wages and working conditions to their workers and improving these. We are glad that Gardenia recognizes this ideal and we hope it lives up to this standard,” Deligente stated.

The workers of Gardenia are led by their union, the Unyon ng mga Panadero sa Gardenia Bakeries Phils., Inc. (UGBPI), an affiliate of the Organized Labor Association in Line Industry and Agriculture (OLALIA), which is a federation of national labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU, May First Movement).

Eight Years of Abduction, Eight Years Without JusticeOn June 2, 2026, eight years had passed since labor organizer Bob R...
05/06/2026

Eight Years of Abduction, Eight Years Without Justice

On June 2, 2026, eight years had passed since labor organizer Bob Reyes was abducted. We condemn the continuing injustice and lack of accountability in his case, and we stand in solidarity with his family, fellow organizers, workers, and all those continuing the call for justice.

Reyes is a former organizer of the government employees’ union center Confederation for Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE). At the time of his arrest, he was a convenor of Defend Job Philippines and a leader of Sandigan ng Manggagawa sa Quezon City, organizing workers in their struggle against contractualization and for higher wages. He also directly assisted the illegally dismissed workers of Pearl Islands Corporation, who went on strike to defend their rights.

Bob was abducted on June 2, 2018 by five men in civilian clothes and loaded into a white SUV with plate number ABB9926. The abductors were later recognized as operatives of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), and he was brought to the CIDG Headquarters in Camp Crame.

Bob Reyes’ case highlights the broader pattern of attacks against labor organizers, unionists, workers, and marginalized communities. We demand his immediate release and accountability for all those responsible.

| Intl labor ranking for Philippines still direWe in the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), a member of ...
03/06/2026

| Intl labor ranking for Philippines still dire

We in the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), a member of the Workers Rights Watch Network, welcome the release of the 2026 Global Rights Index (GRI). The GRI is a well-respected report on the state of workers’ rights globally, released by the International Trade Union Confederation or ITUC, the broadest global labor confederation.

We appreciate the ITUC GRI for keeping track of the state of labor rights around the world. It shines a spotlight on the ten worst countries for labor rights and is therefore a call to action for urgent global trade union solidarity. We extend our solidarity with the workers of the 10 countries which are seen as being the worst for workers’ rights in the previous year.

We recognize the fact that the Philippines, for the first time after many years, has been dislodged from the list of the Ten Worst Countries for Workers. We see this as not due to improvements in the state of labor rights in the country, but the worsening state of those rights in other countries. The Philippines did not perform better; other countries only performed worse.

The Workers’ Rights Watch Report for 2025 underscores the continuing dire conditions for Filipino workers:

📌 Out of the 109 extrajudicial killings of workers, unionists and labor activists since 2016, not a single criminal has been held accountable. We recall the March 7, 2021 Bloody Sunday massacre in Southern Tagalog, under a joint police-military operation, that killed veteran labor leader Manny Asuncion, as well as the extrajudicial killing of Dandy Miguel, regional labor leader, weeks after. Four unionists were extrajudicially killed in 2025.

📌 Two labor organizers have been disappeared and remain missing to this day: Elizabeth “Loi” Magbanua, disappeared on May 2022, and William Lariosa, disappeared on April 2024.

📌 There are currently 20 political detainees from the labor movement. All of them are victims of planted evidence and trumped-up charges and most of them were arrested and imprisoned under the fascist Rodrigo Duterte presidency.

📌 The government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has overseen the increasing use of the Labor Secretary’s power to assume jurisdiction over labor disputes, which orders workers to go back to work lest they face repression, being laid off from work, or criminal charges and penalties, or all of these.

📌 The harassment, surveillance and red-tagging of labor activists continue across the country, especially in the Southern Tagalog and Southern Mindanao regions.

A clear proof of the dire situation of labor rights in the country is the Philippines’ inclusion in the shortlist released by the International Labour Organization’s Committee on the Application of Standards regarding violations of Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining.

We note that the Marcos Jr government issued Executive Order 97, which bans red-tagging in the labor sector and reiterates provisions on workers’ rights to unionize and strike that are guaranteed by existing laws and which the Duterte regime flagrantly violated. EO 97, however, has not stopped the harassment, surveillance and red-tagging of labor activists, and has not ensured accountability of erring state personnel. The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the government agency responsible for promoting and almost-normalizing red-tagging, also remains operational.

We trust that the ITUC and the ILO will remain vigilant in tracking the state of labor rights in the Philippines. We are confident that these international labor institutions will see through the Marcos Jr government’s pretensions of upholding workers’ rights to unionize, collectively bargain and strike.

Free Bob Reyes! Free our unionists!
02/06/2026

Free Bob Reyes!
Free our unionists!

| Makabayan bills on union rights should be govt priority – Labor NGOAs the Makabayan bloc of legislators filed two bi...
02/06/2026

| Makabayan bills on union rights should be govt priority – Labor NGO

As the Makabayan bloc of legislators filed two bills today protecting workers’ right to form unions, a labor NGO said that these bills should be prioritized by the government to help workers cope with the current economic crisis and remove the dangers being posed by exercising the right.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) hailed Representatives Sarah Elago of Gabriela Women’s Party, Renee Co of Kabataan Partylist, and Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Partylist for filing today House Bills 9650 and 9649, known as “Hands Off Our Unions” and “Repeal Assumption of Jurisdiction” bills, respectively, that aim to protect workers’ right to unionize.

“Amidst the economic crisis, workers are striving to defend and advance the state of their labor rights. The least the government can do is respect workers’ rights to unionize. Instead, what we are seeing are the government and employers attacking these rights,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

The “Hands Off Our Unions” bill bans the harassment, redtagging or vilification of workers, unionists and labor activists who seek to form labor unions and advance workers’ rights. The “Repeal Assumption of Jurisdiction” bill, meanwhile, junks Article 278 of the Labor Code, which gives the Labor Secretary the power to assume jurisdiction over labor disputes to prevent or quell strikes.

“Government practices have for years been hindering workers’ exercise of their right to unionize. The bills filed by Makabayan today aim to stop these practices. We are calling on Congress and the government to prioritize these bills’ passage in the interest of Filipino workers,” Deligente added.

Deligente cited the cases of harassment suffered by unionists in the Southern Tagalog and Southern Mindanao regions at the hands of suspected state agents in 2025. She said these incidents disrupt union organizing efforts and spread fear among labor activists, unionists and workers in those regions and across the country.
https://ctuhr.org/releases/despite-marcos-jr-rights-order-harassment-vs-labor-activists-continue/

CTUHR also cited the Labor Secretary’s assumption of jurisdiction on the labor disputes in electronics giant Nexperia in February 2025, motorcycle maker Kawasaki in November 2025, and the Ateneo de Manila University in December 2025. In January this year, a strike injunction was imposed on the labor dispute in the Centro Escolar University (CEU).
https://ctuhr.org/releases/ceu-faculty-and-staff-have-right-to-strike-injunction-a-violation/

“In the Philippines, being a unionist or a labor activist, or joining a strike, pose dangers to the lives, safety and well-being of Filipino workers. This should not be the case, and so laws must be created to ensure that the right to unionize, a most important and sacred labor right, is protected,” Deligente added.

| Davao PNP red-tagging of activists show accountability needed A labor NGO belittled the Davao police’s apology for m...
02/06/2026

| Davao PNP red-tagging of activists show accountability needed

A labor NGO belittled the Davao police’s apology for making a Facebook post that claims 14 activists in the region are “active wanted persons,” implying a manhunt and arrest and imprisonment, saying the country’s human rights situation calls for accountability.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said the apology made by PMaj. Michael P. Celecio, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the Cateel municipality of Davao Oriental, for Facebook posts made on May 27 is not enough, and accountability is needed to stop red-tagging.

“We know by now that red-tagging is dangerous and kills. Mere apology from the police is not enough. If the government really wants red-tagging to stop, it should hold its erring personnel accountable,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

The Facebook posts, made at 8:45 and 8:47 in the morning and taken down at 5:00 in the afternoon, contained photos of Grecian Asoy, deputy secretary general of human rights group Karapatan’s Southern Mindanao Region (SMR) chapter, Rauf Sissay, secretariat member of umbrella organization Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) in the region, and several others.

“Apologies do little to assuage the mental and emotional distress caused by red-tagging to activists, their loved ones, and the communities that they serve. Apologies should mean a stop to the threat posed to the lives and safety of the activists who were red-tagged, but a stronger guarantee would be accountability,” added Deligente.

CTUHR said that the incident should serve as a litmus test to positive initiatives against red-tagging such as:
The May 2026 Commission on Human Rights report on its “National Inquiry on Red-tagging”:
https://ctuhr.org/releases/chr-report-on-red-tagging-welcome-govt-should-act/
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s September 2025 order on workers’ right to freedom of association, which bans red-tagging in the labor sector:
https://ctuhr.org/releases/marcos-order-on-union-rights-an-advance-but-workers-must-remain-vigilant/
The December 2024 court decision on journalist Atom Araullo’s case against red-tagging:
https://ctuhr.org/releases/atom-araullos-legal-win-yet-another-reason-to-abolish-ntf-elcac/
The May 2024 Supreme Court ruling on red-tagging:
https://ctuhr.org/releases/sc-on-red-tagging-late-but-welcome-needed/

“There is much to be done to stop red-tagging, including abolishing the agency that popularized and tried to normalize it, the NTF-ELCAC. At the same time, there are already advances in fighting red-tagging that must be maximized to hold red-taggers accountable,” Deligente stated, referring to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

CTUHR also said that accountability will ensure that the Davao PNP will not be used by the Dutertes, the region’s most powerful political family, to quell dissent especially amidst the recent impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, which garnered the support of most congressmen in Mindanao.

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