Washington, DC – CHIPS Communities United (CCU) stands in solidarity with workers at Nexperia Philippines, who overcame intense repression to reinstate two fired union leaders and win a raise for employees. We call on Nexperia to reinstate two more union leaders who were fired for organizing.
Semiconductor workers around the world labor for low wages in unsafe conditions so that US consumers can buy cars, phones, and other products. These workers deserve fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to join a union without harassment and retaliation.
Background
Semiconductors are one of the Philippines’ top exports, comprising more than 40% of the country’s total exports. Nexperia, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and owned by a Shanghai-traded firm called Wingtech Technology, produces 90 billion semiconductors annually, primarily for use in automobiles.
During 2023 and 2024, the company began dismissing workers at its Philippine factory, citing poor productivity. When the union of Nexperia workers organized a protest, a further 326 employees were targeted for dismissal.
At the same time, a counterinsurgency group answering to President Bongbong Marcos allegedly attempted to break up the union, visited workers at their homes, and accused workers and families of supporting terrorism. In recent years, more than 65 union leaders in the country have been murdered, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) has accused the Marcos Jr. government of gross violations of the freedom of association.
Despite the climate of repression and fear, workers at Nexperia went through 21 rounds of negotiations and three conciliation hearings with the country’s department of labor and employment, but were unable to secure an agreement with management. In December, the company fired four union leaders, and on February 5 the government imposed an “assumption of jurisdiction” that legally forbade any strike by declaring it a matter of “national interest.”
On March 5, the Nexperia Philippines Inc. Workers Union held a vote of its 1,800 members at the Laguna semiconductor factory, with 1,300 voting to strike. Six hundred workers occupied the factory and 600 formed a picket line at one of the facilities. Company management then cut off water and electricity and blocked food supplies to those in the factory.
After a 74-hour strike, management agreed to reinstate union leaders Mary Ann Castillo (president) and Girlie Battad (union official), along with a PHP50 (US$0.87) wage increase over three years. Additionally, all workers will receive a P20,000 (US$350) signing bonus. A non-retaliation clause will protect workers who went on strike. Antonio Fajardo and Marvel Marquez, two union leaders who were fired during management’s union-busting campaign, still need to be reinstated.
CCU calls on electronics manufacturers and governments where they operate to uphold workers’ human rights at work as enshrined in the ILO core conventions of freedom of association and the right to organize.
More information:
- International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines statement
- Inquirer.Net, “Semiconductor workers get pay hike pledge after 74-hour strike,” March 9, 2025
# # #
