Union decries retaliation by Chinese resto management

“The sudden stoppage of production is a threat to our job security.”

MANILA – The management of Chinese restaurant Kowloon suddenly implemented a work stoppage on May 21, 2026, a month after the workers ended their strike.

“The sudden stoppage of production is a threat to our job security. There wasn’t even a memo or explanation—they just stopped letting us in. Some workers couldn’t even clock out,” said Bernard Dimaunahan, president of Glowhrain – Kilusang Mayo Uno Kowloon House West Chapter, in a Filipino statement. 

The union also condemned the premature disbursement of alleged separation pay equivalent to only 15 days per year of service, despite ongoing negotiations before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The situation continued to escalate, barely a month after workers returned to work on April 22, 2026, following a six-day strike. Since then, the union reported that the workers have continued to face threats, harassment, and intimidation— what they believed to be retaliatory actions.

Read: Kowloon House workers win fight for wage hike, release of service charges

The company has allegedly established “KH Dumsim” — another business entity that sells similar products supplied through the operations of Katipunan Food Services Inc (KFSI), the corporate entity that owns Kowloon House. 

The union called on the DOLE to intervene and investigate the management’s actions that may constitute labor rights violations and security of tenure.

“To the best of our ability, we are exhausting every avenue and process to restore the company’s operations, but we will not hesitate to stage another strike if necessary,” Dimaunahan added.

On May 9, 2026, the Kowloon House workers strongly condemned the removal of key production equipment from the factory: a major industrial mixer used in daily production. They said that the management has moved from intimidation to actively stripping production assets from the workplace. 

“We fought for our rights to wages and employment during the strike, believing it was closed in good faith. Now, it is clear they are violating the agreement through various retaliatory actions: from illegal closure and illegal dismissal to pulling out machinery to establish a runaway shop… leaving us without jobs again,” said Dimaunahan in Filipino. 

In support of the Kowloon workers, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio filed on May 4, 2026 House Resolution 974 calling for an investigation into the management’s retaliatory actions. 

“According to existing labor laws, any form of retaliatory action against workers engaging in legitimate organizing and collective action is prohibited,” Elago said in Filipino. 

The Philippines is one of the ten worst countries for workers, according to the International Trade Union Confederation’s Global Rights Index 2025. 

The country ratified the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize) and ILO Convention No. 98 both in 1953, but violations remain persistent. Due to this, the ILO launched a High Level Tripartite Mission in 2023 to investigate the escalating cases of labor rights violations. (RVO)

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