Labor group calls out ‘harassment’ by cops at TUCP Labor Center

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Wednesday condemned the supposed intrusion of cops into their Labor Center compound in Quezon City on Tuesday.

In a statement, TUCP president Raymond Mendoza called the entry of six armed police personnel into the compound harassment.

“This is a clear act of harassment intended to send a chilling message to the trade union movement and specifically to cow TUCP in its advocacy and union organizing work in both the private and public sectors," he said.

Mendoza claimed that these cops aboard a “CIDG” blue-and-white sedan entered the compound and “arrogantly” roamed inside the premises.

They also took photos of the daily attendance list, and interrogated TUCP staff without a search warrant.

According to Mendoza, this was the fifth time that police supposedly intruded their premises as well as their offices and buildings of our affiliates in Mindanao.

He added that the cops interrogated the staff about personal whereabouts and home addresses of key TUCP officials.

“We feel that the pattern to scare off legitimate labor groups is patently clear. What they are doing to TUCP is deeply alarming in this time of profiling and ideological-tagging of labor groups,” Mendoza said.

For him, this was a direct assault on the Constitutional rights of workers and a violation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

GMA News Online has sought the side of the PNP. The police organization has yet to reply. — BM, GMA News