Cobankiat urged to respect the strikers’ picket, previous agreement with union

MANILA – Johnny Cobankiat, millionaire owner of huge hardware supplier Co Ban Kiat Hardware Inc., which reneged on its agreement with the workers’ union, recently received a setback. After the workers’ union relaunched their strike in front of its biggest warehouse in Parañaque City, Cobankiat asked the Regional Trial Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a writ of preliminary injunction.

The said petition for preliminary injunction asked the court to restrain the workers from continuing to hold their strike, direct the workers to pay P1 million in damages, and instruct the Southern Police District and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit to implement the TRO and injunction.

But last Wednesday, the court dismissed Cobankiat’s request, saying the court has no jurisdiction over labor disputes. During the hearing, the Parañaque RTC judge reportedly told the company lawyer that if it has complaints over the labor department’s pace in resolving the dispute, the company could ask the court to subpoena the labor department’s representatives instead.

In a statement, the labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno said the Co Ban Kiat’s request is “a desperate attempt to disperse the strike of workers asserting their demands.”

“Johnny Cobankiat is an example of a cruel, profit-greedy capitalist. His desperation to crush the workers’ strike so he can resume his unhampered raking of millions, by exploiting workers, has led him to use deception, harassment, and intimidation with the help of the government,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairman.

Despite the court dismissal of Co ban Kiat’s request for a TRO, the management lawyer reportedly attempted to escort some drivers and other men into the hardware to get some goods last May 31, the ninth day of their strike.