INVESTIGATE CAVITE FACTORY FIRE

WE call for an immediate and thorough investigation into the Betafoam Corp. fire last Dec. 6.

According to reports, the fire incident left one worker injured after being accidentally hit by a fire hose. The cause of the fire remains unknown as of this writing. It should be noted, though, that this is already the second time in five years that the said factory of foam and insulation materials in Dasmariñas Technopark has been hit by a fire; the first incident also took place during the Christmas season in 2014.

Equally alarming as these workplace fire incidents in Cavite is how the media and independent investigators were once again refused access to the area. This is reminiscent of the infamous House Technology Industries factory fire two years ago inside the Cavite Export Processing Zone in General Trias, Cavite, where some 1,300 workers were left unaccounted for more than a month after the incident. It seems that capitalists and the authorities are more concerned about preventing the public from knowing the real situation and working conditions in the factories and warehouses, than about the fire itself.

It is high time that the government looked into the exploitative and deteriorating conditions of workers in special economic zones and consider the revision of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority charter to ensure that all companies will be accountable to just principles, and are treated accordingly without exception. Moreover, workers need stronger occupational safety standards that will safeguard their health and safety in the workplace.

We also join the whole labor class in rejecting all the neoliberal policies that further worsen working conditions, expand contractualization, press down wages and curtail workers’ rights. We call for justice for all the affected workers of the Betafoam Corp. fire.