Women workers led by the labor partylist
group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed Davao City mayor Sara Duterte for
proposing a watered down version of the Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) Law.
Tonight—the eve of EML lapsing into law—the coalition Workers4EML is holding a
candlelight vigil at Mendiola.
“We are lighting 105 candles so that President
Rodrigo Duterte will be enlightened into signing the law that will benefit tremendously
women workers and ensure the health of newborn babies. If he cannot muster the courage
to sign it into law, the very least he could do is let it lapse into law. We
warn the President against vetoing the law as demanded by the employers group
ECOP,” asserted Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
She added that “Sara should be advised
of the basics of law making. EML cannot be watered down anymore since it has
been passed by Congress. The President can only sign it in toto, veto it or let
it lapse into law. So Sara’s call for halving the salary of pregnant workers on
leave, or worse giving them only a quarter of their pay, is not only detrimental
to women but downright prohibited.”
Workers4EML which includes the labor
groups PM, PSLINK, Sentro, TUCP and IndustriAll have been crucial in advocating
and lobbying for the expanded maternity law. Yesterday women under the banner
of Workers4EML held a noisy but colorful action at Welcome Rotonda.
“Push na natin ito mga kabaro at ka-manggagawa.
Do not let the enemies of labor steal the victory that women workers have
fought for,” Miranda averred.
She added that “Sara’s argument that
it is necessary to water down EML in consideration of small businesses is nonsense.
It is the Social Security System (SSS) which will pay the salary of pregnant
workers on leave as long as it is not above the salary credit of P16,000. Sara
conveniently remembers that the bulk of businesses are small but hypocritically
forgets that majority of workers are minimum wage earners with salaries below
P16,000. With the signing by Duterte of the law mandating an increase in SSS
contributions, the workers’ pensions system is in no danger of going under.”
February 20, 2019
Partido Manggagawa partylist
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