Thousands of workers without aid from employers, gov’t

Thousands of workers still have not received assistance from either their employers, the government or both according to labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM).

“The no work, no pay policy is a recipe for hunger. We call on employers to grant quarantine subsidy to their workers and for the government to mandate companies to provide such assistance,” argued Rene Magtubo, PM national chair. PM and other group are calling for P10,000 quarantine subsidy for formal workers affected by the covid pandemic.

Based in the groups monitoring of several factories in the ecozones of Cavite, majority have received not a single centavo of support since firms shuttered. A few received some assistance from their employers. However, all of the workers surveyed have not received the P5,000 CAMP subsidy from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The Cavite Economic Zone (CEZ) 1 and 1 in Rosario, Tanza and General Trias Cavite shutdown on the night of March 19.

“The Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) in Lapu-Lapu shutdown last Sunday, throwing out of work some 100,000 workers which will add to the conservative figure of 500,000 DOLE Sec. Bello reported as affected by covid lockdown. Unfortunately, except for one electronics company in MEZ, we know that foreign locators let go of workers without substantial assistance,” Magtubo explained.

According to PM, a giant garments company in MEZ that supplies to global brands is refusing to grant quarantine subsidy to some 17,000 employees and instead only gave a token 5 kilos of rice with some canned goods. A large car parts supplier in Cavite employing some 9,000 workers gave pro-rated 13^th month pay to their workers. Both these companies in Mactan and Cavite applied for the CAMP from DOLE assistance but workers have not received the P5,000 subsidy.

Magtubo averred that “Foreign investors should shoulder temporary losses due to the covid pandemic. Employers have benefited from recent economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers. This was revealed in a Department of Finance study showing labor productivity grew by at least 50 percent, yet real wages were stagnant from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, foreign investors in the ecozones enjoyed tax breaks and other privileges for years. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers.”

He added that “A survey of five factories in the Cavite ecozone revealed that all did not grant any assistance to their workers and also none have received any support from the DOLE. Four of these are garments factories while the last is a metal firm. In total, the five factories employs at least 2,000 workers. Eleven days into the lockdown, they all face increasing difficulties due to the lack of support.”

Magtubo insisted that “We also know of three companies, two in Silang, Cavite and one in Dasmarinas, which applied for the DOLE CAMP but again none of the workers have received the P5,000 assistance. The Dasmarinas firm and one of the Silang companies did not grant any support to their workers while the last one gave seven days paid quarantine.”

March 30, 2020

P10k quarantine pay for 100,000 laid off Mactan ecozone workers—labor group

Press Release

March 29, 2020

Partido Manggagawa

Contact Dennis Derige @ 09224633109

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on employers to grant paid quarantine of P10,000 per month to some 100,000 workers affected by the closure of Mactan ecozone  as Lapu-Lapu City is locked down today. They join more 100,000 workers in the Cavite Economic Zone that shuttered a week earlier. “Foreign investors should shoulder temporary losses due to the covid pandemic,” asserted Dennis Derige, PM-Cebu spokesperson.

“As far as we know locators in Mactan ecozone are throwing workers out of work without paid quarantine except for Fairchild Semiconductor (Philippines) Inc. which gave wages for the next 20 days that employees will be out of work. Even the giant garments conglomerate Sports City that supplies to Adidas, among other global brands, is refusing to give quarantine subsidy to some 17,000 employees and instead only gave a token 5 kilos of rice with some canned goods. The firm is also applying for the DOLE assistance for formal workers. This is a giant company that can very well afford to bear losses by granting quarantine subsidy.” Derige explained.

He added that “Employers have benefited from recent economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers. This was revealed in a Department of Finance study showing labor productivity grew by at least 50 percent, yet real wages were stagnant from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, foreign investors in the ecozones enjoyed tax breaks and other privileges for years. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers.”

Derige insisted that “We cannot accept that workers are the last to benefit from economic progress but the first to sacrifice in time of crisis.”

The group is proposing the following mitigation measures to lessen the impact of covid on workers and the people:

1.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

2.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

3.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

P10k quarantine pay asked as ecozone, businesses close in Cebu

Photo by SunStar

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on employers to grant paid quarantine of P10,000 per month to workers to be affected by the impending closure of businesses in the province and city of Cebu, and the Mactan ecozone in Lapu-Lapu. “Local employers and foreign investors should shoulder temporary losses due to the covid pandemic,” asserted Dennis Derige, PM-Cebu spokesperson.

The province of Cebu is imposing a lockdown starting tomorrow while Cebu City is doing so on Saturday and Lapu-Lapu on Sunday. The shutdown of the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) alone will lead to the loss of jobs of some 100,000 workers.

“There are already a number of locators in MEZ that are closing ahead of Sunday and all are throwing workers out of work without paid quarantine except for Fairchild Semiconductor (Philippines) Inc. which gave wages for the next 20 days that employees will be out of work. Even a giant garments company that supplies to global brands is refusing to give quarantine subsidy to some 17,000 employees and instead is applying for the DOLE assistance for formal workers. This is a giant company that can very well afford to bear losses by granting quarantine subsidy.” Derige explained.

He added that “Employers, including tourism businesses, have benefited from recent economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers. This was revealed in a Department of Finance study showing labor productivity grew by at least 50 percent, yet real wages were stagnant from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, foreign investors in the ecozones enjoyed tax breaks and other privileges for years. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers.”

Derige insisted that “We cannot accept that workers are the last to benefit from economic progress but the first to sacrifice in time of crisis.”

The group is proposing the following mitigation measures to lessen the impact of covid on workers and the people:

1.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

2.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

3.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

March 26, 2020

Sen. Pimentel’s action a test to “Bayanihan”

If ‘we heal as one’ is the real objective of the recently enacted Bayanihan Act, then Sen. Koko Pimentel’s irresponsible action at MMC can never lift the bayanihan spirit of a nation in crisis. He and the many politicians who enjoy VIP treatment represent the most disgusting form of social distancing in this age of pandemic. His refusal to take full responsibility for what he did only shows he continues to maintain a feeling of entitlement exposes another meaning of handwashing in the time of Duterte's lockdown.

Yet, as cov-positive himself, Sen. Pimentel needs to be treated with utmost care, his wife and his child as well.  But as a lawmaker who knows how to play power in jabbing people to follow the rules of a strong government, he also must be held accountable for what he has been preaching.

#GamutinPeroPanagutin

26 March 2020

Marikina also first to adopt Covid-19 labor-protection ordinance

Aside from being the first among the local government units (LGUs) to have Covid-19 testing facility, the city of Marikina is also the first to adopt a labor-protection ordinance aimed at mitigating the negative impact of the current pandemic among workers.

Sponsored by Councilor Renato Magtubo, City Ordinance No. 027 Series of 2020, also known as COVID 19 Pandemic Workers’ Welfare Ordinance of 2020, was adopted by the City Council last March 18, 2020.  Magtubo is also the National Chairman of Partido Manggagawa (PM) and one of the convenors of the labor coalition Nagkaisa.

The ordinance aims to protect jobs and income for workers employed in companies and establishments operating in Marikina City and to help the city government in its effort to contain and effectively address the effects of COVID 19 pandemic to the population of Marikina City.

The ordinance recommends several measures to adopt in the event a company or an establishment’s operation is affected by Covid-19 pandemic. These include a dialogue between workers and employer both in the unionized and non-unionized establishments. Parties to the dialogue may seek assistance of the city’s LRPESO, the City Mayor, the Chairperson of the Committee on Labor and Capital Relations of the city council or from the representative of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on their impact assessment and determination of appropriate measures to undertake.

Magtubo stressed that impact assessment is very important at this point in time so that employers’ actions such as reduction of working hours, work rotation, temporary reduction of workforce or company shutdown would not be imposed without providing workers some level of protection such as paid leave, return to work assurance, and access to government assistance or subsidies. The ordinance also encourages work-from-home arrangements without diminution of wages and benefits. Personal protective equipment must also be provided by employers for workers who will remain in the frontline. 

The ordinance does not yet cover workers in the informal sector whom Magtubo said are the ones needing wide range level of social protection. But just the same, he urged the city government to conduct a city-wide impact assessment for this huge sector so that they get priority from national subsidies and LGU assistance.

“Emergency measures are always met by bureaucratic gridlock so that the more an LGU is prepared in knowing the problems down the line and getting the inputs of local communities which is a very important aspect of crisis response, the more it can respond quickly and effectively to their particular needs,” said Magtubo.

And in reaction to the Bayanihan Act, the labor leader echoed Nagkaisa’s call that the national bayanihan must be matched by ‘katapatan’ on the part of the Chief executive and his implementing agencies while the people should maintain ‘pagbabantay’ or a strong level of collective vigilance so that emergency powers are put in check.

“Karapatan nating makatanggap ng tulong mula sa gubyerno. Karapatan din nating hindi maabuso,” concluded Magtubo.

25 March 2020

Both business and govt must act to avert a social crisis—labor group

Photo by Patrick Adalin

The labor group Partido Manggagawa asserted that both business and government must act to avert the covid pandemic turning into a social crisis. This was the group’s reaction to the call by 32 business organizations for deficit spending by government for assistance to workers and the poor.

“Employers must bear temporary losses by paying wages to their workers during the lockdown. Businesses should go into deficit spending just like what they demand of government,” stated Rene Magtubo.

To illustate, he added that “We know of a parts supplier to car companies abroad that stopped operating this week without granting quarantine subsidy to more than 8,000 workforce and instead is applying for the P5,000 DOLE assistance to formal workers. This is a giant company that can very well afford to bear losses by paying wages during the lockdown.”

“Big businesses that employ more than 200 workers should be mandated to grant quarantine subsidy to its workers. These large establishments employ more than a third of all formal workers.”

According to PM, even micro, small and medium enterprises can shoulder temporary losses by paying quarantine subsidy to their workers. A microenterprise with 5 workers and P1.5 million in capitalization—the median numbers for the category—will incur P50,000 in quarantine subdidy for one month which translates to losses since there is no revenue. This P50,000 temporary loss is still just 3.3% of its total capitalization and should not lead to bankruptcy. These microenterprises number 850,000 and employ almost a third of all formal workers.

Magtubo explained that “For a median small enterprise with P7.5 million in capitalization and employing 50 workers, shouldering the quarantine subsidy of P10,000 in one month translates to a loss of 6.7% of their capital, which is still manageable.”

“But, assuming for the sake of argument that the SMSE sector is precisely what the government should assist, then the P5,000 DOLE assistance is wanting and must be raised to P10,000. This is what should be funded from the P280 billion in stimulus that business is proposing,” Magtubo insisted.

He furthered that “However this imply that large enterprises must take the cudgels for their own workers. But at present they are not doing that. So they must be compelled by a government order mandating that big firms pay quarantine subsidy to their workers. Employers have benefited from more than a decade of economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers whose real wages have stagnated. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers.”

March 21, 2020

Employers asked for paid leave as ecozones close in Cavite

Photo from Cavite Economic Zone Administration

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on employers to grant paid leave to workers affected by the closure of ecozones in the province of Cavite. “Foreign investors should shoulder temporary losses due to the covid pandemic,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

The biggest export complex in the country, the Cavite Economic Zone in the town of Rosario, shuttered last night while the First Cavite Industrial Estate in Dasmarinas will close at 5:00 pm today. “We estimate that some 100,000 workers from the two ecozones are affected by the lockdown,” Magtubo said.

He added that “Employers have benefited from recent economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers. This was revealed in a Department of Finance study showing labor productivity grew by at least 50 percent, yet real wages were stagnant from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, foreign investors in the ecozones enjoyed tax breaks and other privileges for years. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers.”

PM also stated that other factories have shutdown earlier, such as Yazaki-EMI in Imus and Eurotiles in Silang, both of which stopped operating since March 18 and are implementing a no work, no pay policy. The group averred that other workers—in factories like metal firm Taifini in Silang which are still producing—are suffering from walking long distances due to lack of transporation.

Magtubo insisted that “We cannot accept that workers are the last to benefit from economic progress but the first to sacrifice in time of crisis.”

The group is proposing the following mitigation measures to lessen the impact of covid on workers and the people:

1.      Release of a DOLE order—not just labor advisory—to mandate prior negotiation with workers before any flexible work arrangement is implemented;

2.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

4.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

5.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

6.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

7.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

8.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

March 20, 2020

DOLE aid to workers: “Small token na, unreachable pa”

Photo from Manila Bulletin

With closed roads and empty offices, how could a home-quarantined worker avail of the P5,000 token assistance announced by DOLE early this week?

Nobody knows and nobody can, according to the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM).

“Not only is the aid very small. It is also practically unreachable,” stated PM Chair Renato Magtubo, explaining that given the lockdown measures enforced by security forces on the roads and the paralysis in the non-frontline government offices, the chance of getting this relief while on quarantine is almost impossible within that period.

The DOLE guidelines, Magtubo said, provide for a two-week processing time in approving employers’ request for assistance based on flexi-work arrangements they will undergo as required by DOLE.

But the labor leader said, that is only possible if employers would really apply for the program out of concern for their workers. What would happen if employers and their staffs are also locked out? And assuming their applications are approved, how can workers avail of that aid if they are not under ATM payroll or with most of banks also in skeletal operations?

There are so many questions to ask, but for Magtubo, a labor leader and who is now a city councilor of Marikina, the draconian restrictions imposed by the lockdown policy must be tamed by the ease in availing social assistance in this time of crisis.

“Napakaliit na nga ng ayuda, long distance love affair pa ang sistema,” lamented Magtubo.

One option the PM is proposing is for Sec. Bello together with all other labor officials to join local officials in distributing this aid package as DOLE’s other program of providing temporary employment for the informal sector affected by the lockdown is likewise implemented at the barangay level.

“But the most logical way and which impact is more universal for those in the formal sector is for DOLE to order all employers to provide paid quarantine leaves to all their workers. In this way the state fund intended for them can be utilized to assist informal workers such as displaced drivers, vendors, community help workers, among others,” concluded Magtubo. 

19 March 2020

Group calls for repatriation of Filipino crew of covid-infected ship

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called for the evacuation and repatriation of the crew of the Grand Princess ship, which includes 529 Filipinos. US authorities have only allowed passengers to disembark from the ship moored in Oakland, California, after which the Grand Princess will sail away with the 1,100 crew.

“The decision by US authorities to quarantine the crew on the Grand Princess means allowing the ship to be a petri dish and putting at risk the health and life of 1,100 workers. We demand their evacuation and repatriation to the Philippines of the Filipino crew,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He insisted that according to the labor contract with the ship owners, workers have a right to be repatriated and the right to a safe workplace. But these rights are being violated since US authorities are preventing their evacuation from a contaminated ship. PM is thus condemning the discriminatory and racist policy of US authorities. Magtubo added that the group supports a similar demand by the labor unionists in the Bay Area.

“We likewise demand that the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Foreign Affairs to make representation to the US authorities on behalf of the Filipino crew of the Grand Princess,” Magtubo averred.

He explained that “In contrast, both the passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan were evacuated and then repatriated. Although the three week period that the people in Diamond Princess was allowed to ‘quarantine’ only led to the spread of infection in the close quarters condition of a cruise ship. That mistake must not be repeated by letting the Grand Princess sail to nowhere with 1,100 crew. ”

“The 437 crew and 2 passengers of the Diamond Princess that were repatriated to the Philippines and then subsequently quarantined in a local facility were released last March 11 since they did not show any signs of infection. Another two however were positive for covid and are undergoing further quarantine,” Magtubo said.

The labor group’s call is part of its ongoing campaign for a worker-first policy regarding the employment impact of the covid epidemic. PM earlier demanded that the Labor Department issue an order mandating negotiations between management and workers before any layoffs and flexible work arrangements are implemented. The group is also asking for paid leaves and paid quarantine days.

March 14, 2020

Lockdown order lack guarantees for workers’ welfare, civil liberties

Photo from autoindustriya.com

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) asked that guarantees be put in place in the so-called ‘community quarantine’ imposed on Metro Manila in order to protect workers’ welfare and civil liberties.

“President Duterte’s order to lockdown Metro Manila for 30 days opens the way for workers’ rights and civil liberties to be violated. Freedom of assembly should not be sacrificed since community organizations and civil society groups should be able to meet and deliberate on urgent matters including a proper covid response,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We wanted to hear President Duterte mobilize public and private resources, especially health personnel, to combat covid but instead all we heard is the mobilization of police and soldiers. Will checkpoints be manned by health workers with test kits or just police with guns?”

Magtubo explained that “Workers’ welfare is also bound to be sacrificed in the lockdown order that lacks clear guidelines and a labor-first perspective. Workers living outside NCR are supposed to allowed to enter and leave the capital as long as they have company ID’s. But informalization of labor—like the practice of endo—means there are numerous workers without proper ID’s and employment contracts. Many construction workers who are employed on an informal basis do not have proper documentation. Finally, informal workers like street vendors obviously do not have ID’s. The lockdown means they will not be able to travel to work and earn a living which will lead to health issues and vulnerability to covid.”

The group reiterated its call for the DOLE to issue an order mandating a worker-first policy on the employment impact of covid. “We do not accept management prerogative in implementing dismissals or flexible arrangements like forced leaves or work rotation. First of all, the DOLE must issue a determination that there is a real impact on the company. After which, any flexible work arrangement must be negotiated with duly-elected workers’ representatives or the union in case the company is organized,” Magtubo insisted.

 The group also proposed the following concrete measures:

1.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

2.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

4.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

5.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

6.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

7.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.”

March 13, 2020

DOLE must issue order on covid embodying worker-first policy—labor group

Photo from Inquirer.net

In the face of reports of actual and potential mass layoffs due to covid, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a department order on covid embodying a “worker-first” policy. “In view of DOLE’s own report of 300 employees jobless due to closure of tourism companies and more than 4,000 workers put on flexible work arrangements, a DOLE order is an urgent necessity. But order must put the interests of workers first. Manggagawa naman,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We do not accept management prerogative in implementing dismissals or flexible arrangements like forced leaves or work rotation. First of all, the DOLE must issue a determination that there is a real impact on the company. After which, any flexible work arrangement must be negotiated with duly-elected workers’ representatives or the union in case the company is organized.”

The group stated thousands of workers are affected by actual and threatened mass layoffs, starting with the high profile dismissal of 300 employees at Philippine Airlines allegedly due to the impact of the covid epidemic. PM’s chapter in Cebu has reported that workers are being laid off or put on forced leaves in the Mactan Cebu ecozone. Likewise, hotels and restaurants in Region 7 are reeling from reduction in tourism.

Magtubo insisted that the DOLE’s existing advisory on flexible work arrangement must be replaced with a department order. “An order has the force of regulation that companies are mandated to follow while an advisory has no teeth and practically useless. Violation of the order should be subject to penalty.” he explained.

The group also proposed the following concrete measures:

1.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

2.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

4.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

5.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

6.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

7.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

March 11, 2020

DOLE asked to issue order on covid embodying worker-first policy

Photo from Philstar.com

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a department order on covid embodying a “worker-first” policy. “In the face of an increasing number of mass layoffs by companies due allegedly to covid, a DOLE order is an urgent necessity. But order must put the interests of workers first. Manggagawa naman,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We do not accept management prerogative in implementing dismissals or flexible arrangements like forced leaves or work rotation. First of all, the DOLE must issue a determination that there is a real impact on the company. After which, any flexible work arrangement must be negotiated with duly-elected workers’ representatives or the union in case the company is organized.”

The group stated thousands of workers are affected by actual and threatened mass layoffs, starting with the high profile dismissal of 300 employees at Philippine Airlines allegedly due to the impact of the covid epidemic. PM’s chapter in Cebu has reported that workers are being laid off or put on forced leaves in the Mactan Cebu ecozone. Likewise, hotels and restaurants in Region 7 are reeling from reduction in tourism.

Magtubo insisted that the DOLE’s existing advisory on flexible work arrangement must be replaced with a department order. “An order has the force of regulation that companies are mandated to follow while an advisory has no teeth and practically useless. Violation of the order should be subject to penalty.” he explained.

The group also proposed the following concrete measures:

1.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

2.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

4.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

5.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

6.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

7.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.”

March 10, 2020

Employers asked to bear losses due to covid instead of passing costs to workers

Photo from esquiremag.ph

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on employers to shoulder temporary losses instead of laying off workers, implementing forced leaves or putting them on work rotation since these all result in income losses. This was their call in time for a tripartite meeting this afternoon convened by the Department of Labor and Employment on the employment impact of the covid outbreak.

“Employers have benefited from recent economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers. This was revealed in a Department of Finance study showing labor productivity grew by at least 50 percent, yet real wages were stagnant from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, companies are about to benefit from less taxes with the CITIRA proposal. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers,” asserted Judy Ann Miranda, PM Secretary-general.

She insisted that “We cannot accept that workers are the last to benefit from economic progress but the first to sacrifice in time of crisis. Women workers are also disproportionately impacted by permanent or temporary loss of employment and income.” This was also the demands of the International Women’s Day commemoration yesterday.

The group is also proposing the following mitigation measures to lessen the impact of covid on workers and the people:

1.      Release of a DOLE order—not just labor advisory—to mandate prior negotiation with workers before any flexible work arrangement is implemented;

2.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

4.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

5.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

6.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

7.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

8.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

Miranda also reported increasing number of workers are being put on forced leaves in the Mactan Cebu ecozone due to the global supply chain connection to China. Likewise, hotels and restaurants in Region 7 are reeling from reduced tourism and thus the threat of layoffs is looming.

March 9, 2020

Women’s Day demands: Job security, social protection amid COVID-19 outbreak

As women workers marched today on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) asserted that workers are more secured when engaged in regular jobs instead of unemployed in times of crises. The group demanded job security and social protection in response to the threat of massive job loss and health hazards from the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The capitalist system imposes a ‘no work-no pay’ principle at work. So when women workers are fired from work or put on job rotation, they lose the means to protect their selves and their families. This is aggravated in third world countries where weak healthcare and social protection systems prevail,” explained PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

PM members joined protest actions in this morning at the Timog Ave. cor. Scout Tobias in Quezon City led by World March of Women and with several women groups in a march to Mendiola before noon.

Miranda, who also heads the party’s women committee, said that mass layoffs should be the last in the menu of actions that can be taken in confronting the virus outbreak, fearing this health crisis can also be used by employers to implement labor flexibilization schemes like endo and downsizing.

The Asian Development Bank on Friday said the Philippine economy could lose between $669 million and $1.94 billion as well as lose 87,000 to 252,000 jobs across five sectors due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“We can’t just wait in grief for these things to happen as pro-active measures can be prepared. Thus we demand that the government flag down any plan by employers to implement flexibilization schemes and mass retrenchments without going through a process of negotiations with affected workers. And for those who need to face the inevitable, a stronger package of social protection must be put in place,” explained Miranda.

Tomorrow, the group will be airing these proposals in a tripartite dialogue to be convened by the DOLE on the employment impact of COVID-19.

The group proposes that the social protection package must include unemployment insurance, or in the absence of it, paid leaves for those who face temporary job loss; additional health package on top of Philhealth; and enrolment to public employment programs, among others.

PM also seeks protection for workers, especially our health workers in the frontline, who must be provided with personal protective equipment. They also asked that health and allied workers be paid while on quarantine days.

The group demands further that the cost of these mitigation measures be taken out of the pocket of state and employers, who, for the last two or three decades, have gained much from increased labor productivity while wages stagnated.

Photos of the IWD actions today can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/

March 8, 2020

Crimes and labor violations committed against women workers in POGO – labor group

Photo by Rappler

How fugitives walkaway ‘freely’ from China, slip into the country with the same ease under the pastillas scheme, and land into a legitimized POGO industry, pose a major concern for women in particular, and for the country in general. 

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) aired this warning in reaction to a recent Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’ (PAGCOR) report aired over the media that over 2,000 Chinese nationals who work for Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) have been deported after authorities discovered they have criminal records in China. 

“Nakakalula,” lamented PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda after learning about the report that of the 70,000 POGO workers in the country, 2,000 fugitives were deported back to China since January 15 after having been found to have criminal records in the mainland. 

“That’s 3 fugitives out of 10. Imagine that kind of ratio when linked to the consequent rise in crime incidents related to POGO operations in the country. That connects the dots. Numbers don’t lie,” said Miranda. 

Miranda pointed out that protection of women workers, Filipino or otherwise, should be treated as a major concern in the country after a Taiwanese POGO worker recently complained of sexual harassment in her workplace. She’s also a victim of human trafficking. 

“Likewise, our law enforcers always point to Chinese nationals whenever drug bust operations or raids on sex dens were conducted.  So whether they are linked or not, the Philippine government must press itself in knowing the facts and employ corrective measures thereafter,” argued Miranda. 

POGO operations in the country have come under close scrutiny in the continuing Senate hearings led by Senator Risa Hontiveros.  

Senator Gordon, on the other hand, raised the possibility of POGO operations being used in money laundering after the Bureau of Customs reported that millions of dollars were brought into the country in bulk by suspected gaming operators. 

The labor department, meanwhile, revealed that some 4,000 POGO workers in the country carry the same TIN number. 

“If all these reports are true then our women, even our children, are at risk of becoming victims of crimes associated with gambling and other illicit activities,” said Miranda, adding that POGO operations in the country has been blamed for the rise of prostitution and sex trafficking of both Chinese and Filipino women. 

Once such measure, Miranda said, is to stop all POGO operations in the country, replace this industry with investments in real economy, strengthen our border security with immediate reforms in the Bureau of Immigration, and compel China to do the same as regards the illegal or criminal activities of their citizens. 

Women workers are celebrating the Women’s Month by pressing more protection mechanisms for women against violence, mass layoffs, trade union repression, high prices, among others. On March 8, women members of PM and other groups are holding a creative action in Timog Circle from 8 to 10 am in Timog Circle before marching from Morayta to LRT Carriedo for a salubungan with the Gabriela contingent. Last Tuesday, women workers picketed the DOLE main office and had a dialogue with labor officials on women's rights issues in the ecozones.

05 March 2020