Jollibee and Labor Rights

Jollibee is a popular Filipino fast food chain that specializes in fried chicken. Jollibee is part of Jollibee Foods Corporation, a company that recorded nearly $5 billion in sales in 2022 and took in $150 million in profits in 2022 (https://jacobin.com/2024/01/jollibee-fast-food-workers-organizing). There are over 1,500 Jollibee stores worldwide.

For the past few years, there have been complaints of labor violations against Jollibee, including low wages, understaffing and worst.

In New Jersey in the U.S., 9 Jollibee workers were terminated after petitioning for better wages and working conditions. These workers appealed to the National Labor Relations Board and after protests and public pressure, Jollibee agreed to back pay and damages amounting to $84,600, reinstatement, and a public apology.

In the Philippines, Jollibee has also been accused of the practice of "endo". Under Philippine law, once a worker has worked for 6 months in a company, they are entitled to the pay, benefits, and job security that regular fulltime workers are entitled to. To get around the law, many Filipino companies let go of workers before they reach the 6 month period, then rehire the workers at a later date, starting the process over again. In 2018, Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment put Jollibee as the top of the list of employers taking advantage of endo arrangements (https://coconuts.co/manila/news/not-jolly-jollibee-tops-list-companies-…)