Advisory: Thousands of workers to march from Welcome to Mendiola

MEDIA ADVISORY

1 May 2017

Contact: Wilson Fortaleza

09158625229

REQUEST FOR COVERAGE 

LABOR DAY RALLY IN MANILA

8:00 AM – 12 NN

1 May 2017

Mabuhay Welcome Rotonda to Mendiola

 

   SCRAP D.O. 174!

   END CONTRACTUALIZATION!

   UPHOLD LABOR AND HUMAN RIGHTS!

Thousands of labor coalition NAGKAISA members will march along the stretch of Espana Boulevard going to Mendiola.  A program particularizing these demands will be held in Mendiola until noon time.

Rallies will also be held in other cities like Cebu, Bacolod and Davao.

[Video/Photo opportunities available]

Thank you very much!

NAGKAISA COMM GROUP

Asean is not pro-labor

Asean is now the fastest growing region in the world in terms of creating economic wealth. But the real creators of this wealth, the working class, do not reap the benefit of this growth.

During the past 50 years, serious inequality and democracy problems hound the region with its people plunging under dictatorial regimes, one after another, with some living under military juntas. The region in other words was far from being democratic, not even today. And the region's working class are the victims of dictatorships and authoritarianism.

This is mainly the reason why the trade union movement is one of the weakest in the world. There is in fact one country in Asean that has yet to define its labor laws.

Asean is also home to hundreds of export zones where violations of labor rights are rampant. Likewise, migrant workers, particularly women domestic workers from sending countries are into cheap labor and routinely suffer discriminations at work in receiving countries of Asean and in other parts of the world.

Economically, Asean is divided between rich and poor nations, creating in effect a wide income disparity between people in terms of GDP share per capita. Asean is now home to billionaires, landing the Forbes Magazine's list of World's richest people.

But most, if not all of these billionaires, are being deplored by their workers for violating core labor standards such as workers' rights to security of tenure and freedom of association.

Many people in the region also do not enjoy universal social protections thus, were left to live a life of chronic poverty and therefore vulnerable to shocks.

Fifty years of Asean, therefore, is half a century of sufferings and struggles for the region's working class.

Justice for Asean workers!

29 April 2017

Advisory: Youth rally today vs endo

MEDIA ADVISORY

30 April 2017

Contact: Judy Ann Miranda @ 09228677522

REQUEST FOR COVERAGE

YOUTH RALLY VS. ENDO

Welcome Rotonda

TODAY,   30 APRIL  4:00 PM

Some 100 members of PM-Kabataan, the youth wing of the militant Partido Manggagawa, will hold a rally this afternoon to highlight the pressing issues of recent graduates and young workers.

PMK will call for the abolition of contractualization, decent jobs for new graduates and living wage for young workers. The youth group is challenging the Duterte administration to make good on the "change is coming" promise by urgent action on the problems of endo jobs, youth unemployment and low wages. Recent surveys affirm that jobs, wages and prices are the utmost concerns of Filipinos.

After the rally, the PMK members will march to the nearby Holy Trinity Parish in Balic, Balic, Manila for an evening program and spend the night at the church grounds. They will participate in the big Labor Day rally led by the Nagkaisa labor coalition and be the earliest contingent at Welcome Rotonda on May 1.

Tomorrow, on Labor Day:

7:00 am PM-Kabataan at Welcome Rotonda

8:00 am Nagkaisa assembly along Espana

9:00 am March to Mendiola for a program until noon 

Workers slam PAL labor violations in Ayala rally

Members of labor groups marched in Ayala Ave. today in a preview of the big workers rally for Labor Day and to slam Philippine Airlines (PAL) for labor violations in the agencies it has contracted. Workers from the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) and Partido Manggagawa (PM) marched this afternoon from the Makati fire station to the PNB headquarters which also houses PAL offices.

“The inspections conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) with the participation of PALEA members have uncovered breaches of general labor and occupational safety standards. Also exposed by the inspection is the fact that agency workers are doing the work of formerly regular workers. That means PAL is guilty of breaking the law and rules on contractualization,” explained Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and PM vice-chair.

Last week, DOLE announced in a press conference that inspections conducted through the Special Assessment or Visit of Establishments (SAVE) found PAL and telecom company PLDT guilty of violating labor and safety rules, including on subcontracting. DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello even proclaimed that he will order the regularization of some 10,000 PLDT agency workers as a consequence.

Rivera insisted that “PAL must remediate the transgressions of its controversial outsourcing scheme by reinstating the 600 PALEA members as per the provisions of a settlement agreement and terminate the use of service providers that have displaced the jobs of regular employees.”

“The protest march today at the country’s central business district on the eve of ASEAN is also a condemnation of the anti-labor and pro-business agenda of the meetings. Labor rights are being sacrificed at the altar of trade liberalization through ASEAN and other multilateral institutions like the WTO and APEC,” insisted Rene Magtubo, PM chair.

SAVE inspections conducted by DOLE and PALEA at PAL and PAL Express are still ongoing as only operations in provinvial airports have been assessed and offices in Metro Manila are yet to be visited. Rivera also blasted PAL for sabotaging the inspections by questioning PALEA’s participation and delaying the conduct of SAVE in its Metro Manila operations.

PALEA and PM are participating in the nationwide Labor Day rallies led by the coalition Nagkaisa. On May 1, Nagkaisa members will assemble at Welcome Rotonda at 7:30 am and then march to Mendiola for a program to call for a scrapping of the newly released DO 174, an end to all forms of contractualization and the protection of labor and human rights.

Also PM-Kabataan, the youth wing of PM, is also a holding a mass action at Welcome Rotonda at 4:00 pm on April 30 to highlight the pressing concerns of young workers like unemployment, contractualization and decent wages and benefits.

April 26, 2017

Maralita ng Bulacan, bumalik sa NHA upang igiit ang aksyon sa kanilang housing applications

Sumugod sa opisina ng National Housing Authority (NHA) sa Bulacan ang humigit-kumulang 500 informal settlers para igiit ang aksyon sa matagal na nilang nakabinbing mga aplikasyon para sa pabahay. Ito ang ikalawang beses na nagrali sa opisina ng NHA sa bayan ng Balagtas ang mga maralitang kasapi ng Partido Manggagawa (PM) at Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP).

Sa dialogue na naganap nitong nakaraang Abril 17 habang nagaganap ang rali ng mga members ng AMP at PM, sinabi ng kinawatan ng NHA na denied ang mga application. Hindi nakumbinsi ang grupo ng mga maralita sa anila’y malabong paliwanag kaya’t humingi si Ver Estorosas, lider ng PM sa Bulacan, konkretong paliwanag sa bawat isang aplikasyon na isinampa. Nagkasundo ang  magkabilang panig sa muling magharap ngayon araw.

Banggit ni Estorosas, “Dumaan sa tamang proseso ang mga residente ng Bulacan na nasa mga danger zone at may mga banta ng demolisyon para makakuha ng slot sa programang pabahay ng NHA sa Bulacan.”

Kahapon ay tumungo sina Estorosas sa opisina ng Gobernador ng Bulacan at sa NHA National upang humingi ng tulong. Noong Marso 23 ay nagpadala na ng sulat ang NHA National sa NHA Bulacan para i-utos ang immediate action sa request ng grupo ni Esterosas.

Dagdag pa ni Estorosas, “Abril 7, 2015 pa nagpadala ng endorsement letter sa NHA-Central Luzon ang tanggapan ni Bulacan Gob. Wilhelmino Alvarado para sa 100 pamilya na inilapit ng PM sa provincial government para sa programang pabahay.  Nasundan ito ng panibagong endorsement letter ng Gobernador para sa panibanong aplikante na 325. Natanggap ang nasabing mga liham ni Efren Dinglasan ng NHA pero nagsabi ito na unahin muna ang aplikasyon ng unang 100.”

“Dahil dito, noong July 15, 2015, nagkaroon ng dayalogo sa kapitolyo na dinaluhan mismo ni Gob. Alvarado, at mga kinatawan ng NHA, PM at mga lider ng maralita at dito ay nagkasundo na bigyan ng housing units ang mga nakatira sa danger zones ng Bulacan at agad na mailipat ang unang 100. Sa katunayan ay binigyan na sila ng application forms ng NHA para masimulan na ang proseso,” ani Estorosas.

Aniya nasundan pa ito ng ilang pag-uusap hanggang sa inabutan na ito ng eleksyon at pag-upo ng bagong administrasyon.

Iginigiit ng PM at AMP ang agarang pag-aruba sa mga aplikasyon dahil bukod sa dumaan ito sa tamang proseso, available at nabubulok na ang mga nakatiwangwang na pabahay sa Bulacan, katulad ng binabanggit ng grupong Kadamay na nagsagawa ng kampanyang okupasyon noong nakaraang buwan.

“Dapat na ring buksan ang iba pang proyektong pabahay ng NHA sa lalawigan para sa mga lehitimong aplikante kaysa mag-antay na mabulok na lamang ang mga ito ng tuluyan na hindi nalilipatan ng mga totoong benepisyaryo kung meron man,” giit ni Estorosas.

25 April 2017

Advisory: Bulacan informal settlers returning to NHA for action on applications

MEDIA ADVISORY

25 April 2017

Contact: Ver Estorosas

09339680449

REQUEST FOR COVERAGE

RALLY @ NHA BULACAN

NHA Office, McArthur Highway Balagtas, Bulacan

(near Balagtas market)

TODAY,  25 APRIL,  11:00 M 

Some 500 legitimate applicants for housing projects in Balagtas, Bulacan are returning this morning for a rally at National Housing Authority (NHA). They will assemble at the boundary of Bocaue and Balagtas by 10:30 am before marching to the NHA office.

In the previous rally last April 17, a dialogue with NHA represntatives ended with the informal settlers giving the agency one week to review the applications.

Their applications, which were accompanied by official endorsements from the Provincial Government, have been pending before the NHA since 2015 but no single application has been processed until now.

The residents complain that bureaucratic gridlock, corruption and downright neglect for legitimate applicants and beneficiaries were the main causes why thousands of housing units in Bulacan remain unoccupied and were left deteriorating into condemned state. 

The occupation campaign organized by members of Kadamay last month has effectively exposed the sad state of the government’s housing program under NHA.

The protesters will demand that their pending applications be finally approved and all idle housing projects be awarded to legitimate and willing applicants, including the homeless people in Bulacan.

Advisory: Ayala rally today vs endo at PAL

MEDIA ADVISORY

26 April 2017

Contact: Bong Palad @ 09165740596

REQUEST FOR COVERAGE

RALLY @ AYALA AVE.

March from Makati Fire Station to PAL/Allied Bank along Ayala

TODAY,   26 APRIL 2017    4:00 PM

Members of various labor groups such as Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) and Partido Manggagawa are leading the rally to call for the reinstatement of some 600 outsourced PAL employees and the end to contractualization in companies.

This is in response to the statement of the DOLE last Wednesday that as per the initial findings of their inspection, PAL and PLDT contracual workers are suffering violations of labor and safety standards and are actually doing the job of regular workers.

In the inspections done on PAL and PAL Express, representatives of PALEA joined DOLE labor inspectors.

The rally is also a buildup to the big workers rally on May 1.

Mga lehitimong applikante ng NHA housing sa Bulacan, nagrali para aprubahan ang kanilang aplikasyon na nakabinbin mula pa noong 2015

Mahigit 500 lehitimong aplikante ng programang pabahay ng National Housing Authority (NHA) sa Bulacan ang nagrali ngayon sa tanggapan ng NHA sa Balagtas, Bulacan upang hilingin na aprubahan na ang kanilang aplikasyon na nakabinbin sa ahensya mula pa noong Abril 2015.

Ayon kay Ver Estorosas, tagapagsalita ng Partido Manggagawa (PM) sa Bulacan, dumaan sa tamang proseso ang mga residente ng Bulacan na nasa mga danger zone at may mga banta ng demolisyon para makakuha ng slot sa programang pabahay ng NHA sa Bulacan pero hanggang ngayon, ang naturang aplikasyon ay hindi pa naaksyuan.

Abril 7, 2015 pa umano nagpadala ng endorsement letter sa NHA-Central Luzon ang tanggapan ni Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado para sa 100 pamilya na inilapit ng PM sa provincial government para sa programang pabahay.  Nasundan ito ng panibagong endorsement letter ng Gobernador para sa panibagong aplikante na 325. Natanggap ang nasabing mga liham ni Efren Dinglasan ng NHA pero nagsabi ito na unahin muna ang aplikasyon ng unang 100.

Noong July 15, 2015, nagkaroon ng dayalogo sa tanggapan ng Gobernador na dinaluhan mismo ng gobernador, at mga kinatawan ng NHA, PM at mga lider ng maralita at dito ay nagkasundo na bigyan ng slots o yunit ang mga nakatira sa danger zones ng Bulacan at agad na mailipat ang unang 100. Sa katunayan ay binigyan na sila ng application forms ng NHA para masimulan na ang proseso.

Ayon kay Estorosas, nasundan pa ito ng ilang pag-uusap hanggang sa inabutan na ito ng eleksyon at pag-upo ng bagong administrasyon.

Hinihiling ngayon g grupo na aprubahan na ang naturang mga aplikasyon dahil bukod sa dumaan ito sa tamang proseso, available at nabubulok na nga ahalos ng mga nakatiwangwang na pabahay sa Bulacan, katulad ng binabanggit ng grupong Kadamay na nagsagawa ng kampanyang okupasyon noong nakaraang buwan.

Dagdag pa ng PM-Bulacan, dapat na ring buksan ang iba pang proyektong pabahay ng NHA sa lalawigan para sa mga lehitimong aplikante kaysa mag-antay na mabulok na lamang ang mga ito ng tuluyan na hindi nalilipatan ng mga totoong benepisyaryo kung meron man.

Nagdududa ang grupo na kaya nakatiwangwang ang libu-libong pabahay ng NHA sa Bulacan ay dahil ayaw itong lipatan ng mga nakatalagang benepisyaryo mula sa Kamaynilaan, walang serbisyo ng tubig at kuryente, at ang malala ay baka umano ginagawang negosyo ng mga opisyal ng ahensya.

Umaasa ang grupo na ang kampanyang isinagawa ng Kadamay ay magbukas ng daan upang ang mga bakanteng pabahay ng NHA sa lalawigan ay mapakinabangan ng mas marami, lalo na ang mga lehitimong aplikante na matagal nang naghihintay na ang kanilang mga aplikasyon ay maaksyunan. Kailangan din umanong repormahin ang sistemang ito para matiyak na ang programang pabahay ay may kasabay na esensyal na serbisyo tulad ng tubig at kuryente.

Nagpahayag din ang grupo na dadalhin din nila ang kanilang hinaing sa Malacanang sakaling hindi aksyunan ng NHA sa Bulacan ang kanilang kahilingan.

17 April 2017

Advisory: Hundreds of Bulacan informal settlers to press NHA on housing applications

MEDIA ADVISORY

17 April 2017

Contact: Ver Estorosas

09339680449

REQUEST FOR COVERAGE

RALLY @ NHA BULACAN

NHA Office, McArthur Highway Balagtas, Bulacan

(near Balagtas market)

TODAY,   17 APRIL 2017    10:00 AM

Some 500 legitimate applicants for housing project in Balagtas Bulacan will press for the approval of their pending applications before the National Housing Authority (NHA).

Their applications, which were accompanied by official endorsements from the Provincial Government, have been pending before the NHA since 2015 but no single application has been processed until now.

The residents complain that bureaucratic gridlock, corruption and downright neglect for legitimate applicants and beneficiaries were the main causes why thousands of housing units in Bulacan remain unoccupied and were left deteriorating into condemned state. 

The occupation campaign organized by members of Kadamay last month has effectively exposed the sad state of the government’s housing program under NHA.

The protesters will demand that their pending applications be finally approved and all idle housing projects be awarded to legitimate and willing applicants, including the homeless people in Bulacan.

FOA issue at Tesco supplier in Philippines

Photo from Sein Together website

Workers of a garments factory in the biggest export zone in the Philippines are calling on apparel brands to uphold their code of conduct as they face harassment and interference in the exercise of the freedom of association. Among the major customers of the factory is Tesco of UK.

A union has been formed by workers of Sein Together International Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of the Korean garments firm Sein Together (http://www.seintogether.com/eng/main/main.php). However, they now face the challenge of management interference in their right to organize.

Union leaders have all been transferred to one production line about a month ago to separate them from the rest of the workers. The company also called for a meeting of its workers where an employee was allowed to speak against forming a union. The factory has been shutdown for more than a week now and will reopen later this month except for the line where the union leaders are located. Management has not announced when that line will be back in production.

The union demands a stop to the harassment, the transfer of union officers to their former production lines, the reopening of the factory as soon as possible and the immediate reemployment of unionists once it operates again.

The union has filed a complaint about unfair labor practice (a labor law term meaning violations of freedom of association) at the Labor Department and a hearing was held yesterday. In the mediation meeting yesterday, the company denied the charge of unfair labor practice but was called to task by the government mediator for convening an anti-union meeting.

The company said that the temporary shutdown was due to lack of orders. Management requested and the union agreed that negotiations be held on April 21 at the plant-level (without government mediation) to address the issue of reopening. The factory will partially reopen on April 20 according to management.

Tesco is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative which commits to uphold freedom of association in its supply chain. Aside from Tesco, Sein Together Phils. also supplies to Home Plus of Korea (which was formerly owned by Tesco) and Korean apparel brands Jisoo, Hue to Go, Daiz and Jaju.

Labor group urges DOLE to prove whether new rules effective for SM group, other giants

Is the new DOLE Order effective or defective in stopping the epidemic of contractualization?  This question was raised by Partido Manggagawa (PM) in a picket-rally held at the Manila branch of SM Monday as Department Order No. 174 is expected to take effect beginning this week.

It can be recalled that the SM group, through its investor relations chief, Cora Guidote, did not seem to worry about the new rules saying it has no impact to the group. “Nothing has changed as far as SM is concerned. No impact to the group,” said Guidote in recent media interview.

PM is one of the labor groups under the Nagkaisa coalition which rejected D.O. 174 when it was issued on March 16, 2017 as it allows agency hiring to continue despite opposition from the labor movement and the pledge made by the President.

“SM Manila is just a stone's throw away from DOLE so its officials, therefore, need not go far other places to prove the usefulness of D.O 174.  The regularization of SM’s entire workforce is a big thing to watch in our continuing fight against contractualization,” said PM Secretary General, Judy Ann Miranda.

Labor groups were making the SM group and other giant companies like PAL the showcase in its continuing campaign against contractualization.  According to estimates, the SM group has at least 90,000 workforce nationwide and it is public knowledge that much of those working in malls as sales ladies, cahiers and dicers work as contractuals. As of late it has only regularized some 4,000 according to DOLE.

According to Miranda, Secretary Bello in countless interviews had always referred to sales ladies as workers who perform ‘necessary and desirable’ jobs that are not allowed to be contracted under the rules. But SM justifies its big number of contractuals as seasonal workers which is allowed under the Labor Code.

Agency hires abound in the service sector but this practice is more pronounced in big companies like malls, hotels and restaurants rather than in small scale enterprises.  About 30% of total workforce in establishments with 20 workers and above is considered ‘non-regular’, according to the latest survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.  An independent study by Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) showed 80-85% of workers in 11 branches of SM in NCR are contractuals. 

“SM should not be allowed to continue hiding their contractual workers under the wrap of different seasons. That is fraudulent. And if D.O. 174 becomes benign to SM, PAL and other giant companies, then the new policy will be a complete failure,” concluded Miranda.

PM also points to export zones as notorious hubs of contractualization where DOLE has been a failure for decades.

April 3, 2017

Advisory: Workers to picket SM today over new endo order