To highlight the
participation of LGBTQ+ young workers in Pride Month and underline the call for
pride in work not just in identity, Partido Manggagawa (PM), its youth wing PM
Kabataan and allied organizations are holding a community event on the this afternoon
at the Gawad Kalinga Multipurpose Hall Paradise Heights in Smokey Mountain
Tondo.
In joining this month’s
celebration of Pride, PM demands extending it beyond identity politics,
believing that the fight for freedom and equality go beyond state recognition
and corporate accolades.
These calls include fair wages
in the form of wage hikes and the realization of living wage, freedom of
association, regular employment, and better working conditions.
“Real Pride means demanding
structural change. Pride in work, not just in identity (Pride sa pagawaan,
hindi lang sa katauhan),” stated Pavs Pavillon, a LGBTQ+ leader of PM Kabataan.
Pavillon added that “Pride,
therefore, must go beyond symbols and celebrations of identity. We need to talk
about rights on the job — about wages, full employment and decent work for all,
dignity, and equal treatment in the workplace.”
For decades, wages in all 17
regions in the Philippines stayed below the national poverty threshold, at the
same time regular jobs and trade unions are being destroyed by
contractualization and other restrictions - including union-busting,
intimidation, and killings.
Along with these problems we
continue to see workplace discrimination every day. For instance, gay workers
in one big factory in Calabarzon are forced to cut their hair short, and
they’re not allowed to use hairnets as an alternative. Lesbian workers are
pushed into heavy lifting tasks just because they “look strong” — with no
regard for how menstruation or physical strain might affect them. Even in
social activities, LGBTQ+ workers are excluded: there’s funding for company
sports fests, dance contests, and more — but anything LGBT-themed is banned.
When LGBTQ+ workers are
treated as “less than,” it weakens the whole workforce. It justifies low pay,
divides workers, and lets management off the hook. Fighting for equality and
against discrimination isn’t just for a few — it’s for all of us who want better
conditions, fair treatment, and real freedom.
Pavillon ended with “This Pride and for the next pride marches, let’s stand and fight together not only for acceptance — but for recognition, equality, and collective action. Because there’s no true liberation if our workplaces and communities are still sites of oppression.”
PRESS RELEASE
Partido Manggagawa Kabataan
