Laborers protest working condition inside Hanjin

Some 300 workers from Hanjin Shipyard protested against unfair labor practice and maltreatment of workers inside the shipyard on Sunday.

The protest action in Subic was the end of a series of actions against Hanjin Shipyard

The workers also trooped to the Korean Embassy and the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila before proceeding to Subic town in Zambales for their protest caravan.

The protest caravan did not manage to get close to the shipyard gate in Subic after it was blocked by members of the Zambales police.

"Hanjin management's non-compliance to safety standards has put our lives in danger, making its shipyard a graveyard for some of us," said Joey Gonzales, secretary general of Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Hanjin Shipyard (Samahan).

After negotiations failed to let the protester near the main gate of Hanjin, the CBCP -- represented by Bishop Broderick Pabillo -- held a mass along the national highway leading to Hanjin.

The protest was also participated in by members of the Partido ng Manggagawa, Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (Makabayan), and representatives from the Korean Workers Union and Hanjin Korean Union.

Hanjin exec says $2-B shipyard project to proceed

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines is optimistic on the recovery of the world economy, with a ranking official of the company saying it would resume the development of a $2-billion shipyard complex at the Philippine Veterans Industrial Development Corp. (Phividec) Industrial Estate.

"There’s no question about it. Our investment in a new shipyard at the Phividec Industrial Estate was a bit withheld because of the worldwide recession," Jeong Sup Shim, Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines president, told BusinessWorld. Mr. Shim was in Lugait town on Wednesday to receive the Presidential Medal of Merit from President Arroyo.

Hanjin’s chairman Cho Nam Ho earlier assured Mrs. Arroyo that the Korean firm would push through with its project, which covers 3,000 hectares in the industrial estate that straddles the towns of Tagoloan and Villanueva. "Our chairman already promised that we will resume our investment and we will start as soon as economy is good," said Mr. Shim.

But he could not state a definite target date. "We don’t promise on anything impossible," said Mr. Shim.

The shipyard was projected to generate up to 40,000 new jobs in the next three years. Hanjin had said there was ongoing training for at least 1,000 applicants in a training center in Tagoloan.

Phividec administrator Nimfa A. Albania said the company would renew a memorandum of understanding it had signed with the industrial estate, which will expire on March 10, 2010.

Other than the world economic crisis, the Korean firm also had a rift with the local governments of Tagoloan and Villanueva but Mr. Shim said it has been solved. "Because of the strong instruction from the central government, it’s now over," said Mr. Shim.

When asked if Hanjin would scout for more business opportunities as earlier reported by the National Economic and Development Authority, Mr. Shim said yes. "We have a strong affection in Mindanao especially Misamis Oriental because the province is the starting point of our investment here," said Mr. Shim.

Hanjin’s investment in the province is much larger than its $1-billion shipyard project in Subic.

hanjin issue

Editorial: What’s going on?

from Business Mirror

REPORTS that a little-known South Korean firm had managed to lease thousands of hectares of land in Mindoro Oriental, in a deal known only to some local officials but not to the departments of agriculture or environment, is certainly cause for alarm.

While it’s state policy to encourage foreign investors to set up business in the country and thus provide jobs, especially in a time of crisis, the benefits from such large-scale contract farming with nebulous terms remain unclear. In fact, if the worst fears of farming communities come true, such a deal could even impact on the food security of local inhabitants.

Even more alarming is that several similar arrangements are reportedly being forged in many parts of the country, and in many cases those in government who should know about them are either in the dark, or not serious about their regulatory duties.

We are not surprised, meanwhile, that in several recent controversial cases involving the exploitation of natural resources, South Korean firms are involved. The “Korean invasion” is for real, make no mistake about it, and while Filipinos are good neighbors and hosts, it’s time to look into the seemingly unstoppable muscling in of some Korean interests into various sectors and areas. For instance, the new “gold rush” area in a part of the Compostela Valley—site of the famous Diwalwal gold rush—counts scores of Korean prospectors among the hundreds flocking to the place, mostly unregulated.

The argument may be made that it’s good that foreigners are making a stake here and investing their money for business. Yet it behooves government agencies concerned in every case to make sure the benefits from allowing foreign business to operate here far outweigh the negatives—that is, that “dirty money” from organized crime isn’t laundered in Philippine-based operations; that the ventures are fair to the host communities and will not degrade the environment; that the foreign employers create a substantial number of jobs and follow local labor laws strictly (think Hanjin and its slew of cases in Subic); and fundamentally, that these ventures don’t infringe on the Philippine Constitution.

Erring SBMA subcontractors face closure

THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) yesterday warned subcontractors working at various jobsites in the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC-Phil) to adhere strictly to occupational safety requirements or face immediate closure.

The agency issued this stern warning as it probed two recent accidents where three workers hired by two Hanjin subcontractors died at the job site.

The first case involved two sling men who were pinned to death by a toppling 15-ton steel beam on March 10. The other incident involved a worker who fell off the roof the day after.

“We will be going after these companies who show utter disregard for safety,” SBMA officials said yesterday.

According to HHIC-Phil, the first accident occurred when two “sling men” were removing shackles atop a 15-ton beam. When an assisting worker signaled the crane operator to retract the cable, one of the shackles might have caught in one of the brackets beside the lifting lug.

This caused the overhead crane body to topple, the accident report indicated.

The two fatalities and the signalman were employed by subcontractor Globe Distribution Services, while the crane operator worked for Subic Shipbuilder Inc., another subcontractor.

The second case involved a worker who fell off a nine-meter roof after failing to notice that he was at the roof edge.

The worker, employed by subcontractor Bodahhm Inc., was reportedly working backward to mark places where screws had to be bolted on by another worker.

The third fatality was wearing a safety harness, but this was not properly secured, initial investigation showed.

SMBA officials said the ongoing investigation tend to show that some subcontractors and their workers “failed to observe even common-sense safety measures.”

“Every industrial jobsite is a potential safety hazard, that’s why there are clear-cut rules on safety that we require companies to implement strictly,” they said.

They added that HHIC-Phil president Jeong Sup Shim had assured him of Hanjin’s support to the investigation, with the end in view of identifying erring subcontractors and taking appropriate actions against them.
J. V. Antiporda - Journal online

http://subicbaynews.blogspot.com/2008/03/hanjin-to-form-body-on-shipyard-safety.html
http://subicbaynews.blogspot.com/2008/03/3-workers-killed-in-2-new-hanjin.html

Crane operations at Hanjin jSubic suspended after accident

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said crane operations at the Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp (HHIC) shipyard in Subic had been suspended after a crane fell on two of its employees Tuesday night, killing them instantly.

Ermita said a report submitted by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to Malacañang said investigations are now on going and crane operations had been suspended while the probe is on going.

He stressed that the incident does not warrant a termination of Hanjin’s contract as the accident involved their local supplier, the Globe Distribution Philippines, and not South Korean company directly.

He said that based on the report they received, two workers were removing the shackles of a 20-ton beam that they were moving when the crane fell from its trestle and pinned them down.

It was followed by another accident Wednesday morning when another employee fell from the roof that he was fixing.

Reports said relatives of the three employees are now seeking assistance from HHIC.

Last January, two more Filipino employees were also killed after the shipyard caught fire, which government inspectors said maybe caused by some safety violations. - GMANews.TV

Man sues Korean ship firm for son’s death

By Tonette Orejas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The father of a worker at a subsidiary of the Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. in Subic, Zambales, has filed a criminal case against a Korean who drove the truck from where his son fell over and died on Dec. 24.

Raul Loquinario also sued Hanjin’s DMK Philippines-Korea Co.-HHIC for alleged labor violations.

Loquinario, 47, assailed the police in Subic town for not arresting the driver, Jang Jong-dae, 41, and chief of the engineering unit.

The case for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against Jang was filed at the Olongapo City prosecutor’s office on Dec. 27.

Money rejected

The family has also refused the offer of P100,000 from a certain Mr. Lee, reportedly a director of the DMK, as settlement for the death of Reynan, 24.

“My son’s work was over that day but that Korean ordered my son and his coworker (Jason Valdeztamon) to board the truck and hold the two pipes there as he drove within the Hanjin compound,” Loquinario told the Inquirer by phone.

In an affidavit, Valdeztamon said Jang instructed them to hold two metal pipes. “The sidings of the trucks were not closed. We had no safety cables on. The driver drove very fast. Reynan was [thrown off] the truck and the pipes fell also on him,” Valdeztamon said.

Reynan died of multiple crash injuries.

Jang, Loquinario said, was not supposed to drive the truck at that time because the vehicle was assigned to another personnel.

No reply

The Inquirer on Sunday tried but failed to reach Jang, the DMK or Hanjin. Jong Yu-pyeong, Hanjin general manager, did not reply to the Inquirer’s queries on Sunday.

“The policemen acted like they were mediating for Hanjin, not on behalf of my son. They were preventing us from filing cases. They did not want to make an affidavit of my complaint,” Loquinario said.

Supt. Cesar Jacob, Subic police chief, said his men tried but failed to find Jang at the Hanjin compound.

“When we could not find Jang, we went to the family of the victim to get their statements. They agreed to a settlement at first but changed their mind,” Jacob said.

The complaints by Loquinario, the first to be filed against a Hanjin employee and the companies, provide a test case on how these Korean investors treat Filipino workers and what safety measures are there in the workplace, according to Ramon Lacbain II, chair of the Zambales government’s Task Force Hanjin that assisted the family.

Reynan, the eldest in the brood of six, was the family’s lone breadwinner. Loquinario has been ill and tends a family retail store.

Jacob described the DMK as a “subcontractor” of Hanjin.

Cops helpless

Chief Supt. Errol Pan, Central Luzon police director, said the task force has “no jurisdiction over the case.” He said the police have prepared a case against some people who prompted the Loquinarios to reject the settlement offer. He declined to identify them.

A policeman in Zambales said Hanjin offered P250,000 but the task force “meddled” and “influenced” the family to demand at least P2 million. Loquinario denied it.

Subic Bay mega yard piles up the orders

Lloyd's Confirms that Hanjin's Subic Plant Will be 4th Largest in the World
Subic Bay mega yard piles up the orders.
Marcus Hand

WHEN Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction decided to invest in a $1bn shipbuilding yard in Subic Bay, it was a massive shot in the arm for country that had, in recent years, struggled to attract major inward investment.

The shipyard was one of the largest foreign investments made in the southeast Asian country in recent years, with its location being chosen over Malaysia and Vietnam, for what is set to be the fourth biggest shipbuilding facility in the world.

From officially signing the deal at the end of February last year, the yard has come up at an astonishing pace. The first steel was cut there earlier this year and its first dry dock will be completed by the end of the year.

The Subic Bay yard is already building up a comprehensive orderbook with orders for 34 containerships as well as a pair of bulkers and two aframax tankers. Although it is a greenfield site the South Korean shipbuilder is plunging right in, taking orders for ultra large containership tonnage.
With the new yard has come the demand for related infrastructure and the company is also building a condohotel.

There are continued stories that Hanjin plans a second shipyard in the south of the country, in Mindanao, although these have been denied by the South Korean firm.

Local reports say though that Hanjin plans to invest Pesos 20bn ($456m) in northern Mindanao at a 3,000 ha site in Phividec Industrial Estate. However, it is being held up by municipal governments concerned over guarantees of hiring local workers.

Another proposed mega-investment from the maritime sector that has hit a speed bump over its location is Cosco’s planned $3bn hub at the former US naval base at Sangley Point close to Manila.

The plan was announced when Cosco top man Wei Jaifu meet with Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in June this year. Despite this fanfare, much of the groundwork remained to be done — including assessing whether the preferred site was actually feasible.

A few months later it is the suitability, or the lack thereof, that would appear to be the problem. A lack of supporting infrastructure and a need for major land reclamation could scupper the project.

“The first choice of Cosco is Sangley Point but there are many problems because there are no access roads,” Francis Chua, the Philippines government’s special envoy to China for trade and investments, told reporters on the sidelines of a business conference in early October.

Mr Chua also spoke of the 4,000 ha project’s need for major land reclamation.
“They need a few hundred hectares for the project,” he says. “If Sangley, a lot of reclamation must be done so it would take time.

“The Chinese would like to invest soon and they have to wait a long time for Sangley Point to be ready.”

The Chinese company is now reported to be looking at some areas in Cavite, Subic, Bataan, Quezon and a small island in the south. However, in a blow to the Philippines, Cosco is also considering other countries in the region.