POLICE HARRASMENT SA TUCP LABOR CENTER KINONDENA

Kinondena ng Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) ang umano’y pangha-harras na gunawa ng 6 na armadong pulis, ang ilan ay naka-uniporme habang ang iba ay naka-plainclothes, sa TUCP Labor Center compound sa kahabaan ng Elliptical Road corner Maharlika St., in Diliman, Quezon City noong Martes ng hapon.

“This is a clear act of harassment intended to send a chilling message to the trade union movement and specifically to cow TUCP in its advocacy and union organizing work in both the private and public sectors,” saad ni TUCP President Raymond C. Mendoza.

“Without permission or even a courtesy request, the policemen, using the CIDG blue-and-white sedan vehicle with plate number SKM 714 from QC-76, entered the TUCP compound and arrogantly roamed inside our private premises, took photos of the daily attendance list, and interrogated our staff without a search warrant. We remind all – specially the PNP and the CIDG – to adhere and strictly observe the rule-of-law. The TUCP will not countenance or tolerate any legal short-cuts, specially by our supposed law enforcers. Further, this is the fifth time that an unwarranted police intrusion has occurred within our Quezon City premises, and it has also occurred in offices and buildings of our affiliates in Mindanao.  We feel that the pattern to scare off legitimate labor groups is patently clear. What they are doing to TUCP is deeply alarming in this time of profiling and ideological-tagging of labor groups,” ani pa ni Mendoza.

“The police entered without the courtesy of a request or approaching any responsible officer of the union in the Compound to explain their purpose and in contravention of an existing protocol on rules of engagement between the PNP and trade unions,” dagdag niya.

Anya, ito na ang ikalimang pagkakataon na pinasok ang compound ng TUCP ng mga pulis.

“Further, this is the fifth time that an unwarranted police intrusion has occurred within our Quezon City premises, and it has also occurred in offices and buildings of our affiliates in Mindanao. We feel that the pattern to scare off legitimate labor groups is patently clear. What they are doing to TUCP is deeply alarming in this time of profiling and ideological-tagging of labor groups,” dagdag pa ni Mendoza.

“The police entered without the courtesy of a request or approaching any responsible officer of the union in the Compound to explain their purpose and in contravention of an existing protocol on rules of engagement between the PNP and trade unions,” giit pa nito.

Ang TUCP ang pinakamalaking trade union sa bansa na may affiliate sa Brussels-based International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), at siyang nagsusulong ng karapatan at kapakanan ng mga manggagawa sa buong mundo.