For Kowloon House workers, the fight is not yet over

MANILA, Philippines – Kowloon House workers are marking Labor Day not with celebration, but with a continuing fight. 

The employees of the 64-year-old casual Chinese restaurant chain have been entangled in a labor dispute with management for months, after over 60 workers demanded better pay. The tensions culminated in a weeklong strike that secured a modest pay increase of P20 per day through a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in April. 

It was a hard-earned victory, but the win was short-lived. 

Days later, workers said management issued termination notices after moving to shut down the Noodle House unit at Kowloon House West Avenue in Quezon City, a production area fixture near the main branch’s drive-thru established in the mid-70s. 

The decision was supposedly made without formal notice to the union and in violation of the CBA’s “no retaliatory action” clause, which bars the company from enforcing punitive measures against employees for their union activities. 

Blindsided workers

Arnel Diwa, 45, had worked at Kowloon’s Noodle House since 2013, describing kitchen operations as once “organized and smooth” before the dispute triggered disruptions. The tensions are not new: wage conflicts date back to 2008, when workers staged a nearly four-month strike.

After the six-day strike in April and the signing of a memorandum of agreement, Diwa and his coworkers expected a return to normalcy at work, but they were surprised to learn that their unit would be closed, laying off at least 70 employees. 

“This has a big impact on us because we also invested our sweat and blood over the years that I have been with Kowloon,” he said. “We worked honestly and properly for them. They should reciprocate.”

In a statement, labor union GLOWHRAIN-KMU said that Noodle House workers are included in the union’s bargaining unit under the CBA and are entitled to protections covered by the “no retaliatory action” clause. It has since coordinated with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) to decry the alleged violation of the MOA. 

The mass termination ignited new protests beginning April 24, but tensions remained high, as guards barricaded the premises.

Management unfazed

In a statement issued to Rappler, Katipunan Food Services Inc. (KFSI) said the closure of KMN Noodle House was not connected to the labor dispute and was due to the owner’s battle with cancer. 

“No truth to the allegation because KMN Noodle House is an independent business from KFSI. KMN employees are not members of the union,” KFSI said. 

It added that the closure complied with the 30-day notice requirement under the law, and that separation pay would be released in full. 

“There is an ongoing consultation between the union and the KFSI management,” it also said. 

Workers moving forward

For 29-year-old Indianna Go, member of the union’s negotiating panel, their demands for a pay hike are long overdue, and are necessary to keep up with rising cost of living. 

They said they went on strike because the management’s P10 counteroffer to their proposal of a P35 daily wage increase was unfair. 

“Workers should not be belittled,” she said. “For the longest time, workers have kept the company running.”

For impacted Noodle House workers like Diwa, taking a stance is not only for themselves, but also for their families.

“I have two children studying, and one of them is in college,” he said. “What will happen to their future? This is our only source of income.”

When asked about what he hoped would come out of the protest actions, he emphasized that their fight is for their employment to be restored. 

“I hope that when management and the labor union talks, we can reach an agreement so there will be no negative impact on both sides,” Diwa said. “We just want things to go back to normal.” – Jia Erikah Fajardo/Rappler.com 

*Quotes in Filipino were translated into English, and some were shortened for brevity. 

Jia Erikah Fajardo is a journalism student at Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Manila and the features editor of its official student publication The LANCE. She is currently a Rappler intern.