Filipino workers rally in support of HK unions and protests

Press Release

October 3, 2014

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) and other groups in the labor unity coalition Nagkaisa! today held a rally at the consular office of China in Makati in response to a call for international solidarity from the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU). PM declared that “Filipino workers extend our solidarity to our brothers and sisters in the HKCTU, the students and the Hong Kong people in the struggle for democracy and equality.”

With the Hong Kong protests gearing for a possible confrontation with the government, Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and PM vice chair, stated that “We appeal to both the HK and Beijing government to stop the use of violence against its own people.  The people’s democratic government which was proclaimed in October 1, 1949, can only be more and never less democratic.  For this reason, arrest and detention as well as the use of teargas in dispersing a massive but peaceful assembly of mostly young people are patently undemocratic.”

The HKCTU had called last week for strikes by workers to complement the boycott by students and the protests in general. A PM statement asserted that "The Hong Kong working class must now join the democracy protests to break the impasse for the students cannot win the struggle on their own. But the HK workers must put the imprint of their class demands on the movement and march under their own banner of social justice and emancipation."

Rivera explained that “We are inspired seeing people – students, teachers, workers, and elderly in collective action against threats to democracy, as we are likewise indignant that this action is met by state violence.”

He added that “When PALEA launched its struggle against outsourcing and contractualization, workers all over the world, including Hong Kong, extended support. Such solidarity helped us sustain the fight until eventual victory. We shouted then that the struggle of PALEA is the struggle of all workers. Now it is time to say that the struggle of HKCTU is the struggle of all workers.”

Rivera also argued that “We are also aware that aside from the demand of democratic reforms, the people were raising the issue of gaping inequality between the business elite and the working class in Hong Kong.  We acknowledge this as a worldwide phenomenon under this capitalist world thus we easily identify with the justness of bringing this call.”

PM also expressed readiness to hold more solidarity actions for HK unions and the democracy protests when needed. Rivera averred that they will continue monitoring the development of the protests in Hong Kong and hope that the people’s demands are eventually met.

In solidarity with HKCTU and the Hong Kong People

(Reuters photo)

We, in the Partido Manggagawa (Labor Party Philippines) extend our solidarity to our brothers and sisters in the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), the students and the Hong Kong people in the struggle for democracy and greater equality. 

The world is witnessing yet another “occupy” and “spring” phenomenon, this time right here in   neighboring Hong Kong.  Yet while we are inspired seeing people – students, teachers, workers, and elderly in collective action against threats to democracy, we are likewise indignant that this action is met by official violence perpetrated by the State.

We condemn the use of violence against legitimate protests.  Democracy, we assert, is an indivisible body of rights that must be enjoyed by the sovereign people.  The right to chose and to freely express ourselves are but a few of the basic principles of democracy.  And even if these rights cannot be proclaimed as absolute vis-a-vis the need for certain degree of state regulation, suppressing these rights more often than not creates an absolutely dangerous predicate to destroying the very fundamental of democracy which is people’s sovereignty.  Repression must therefore be stopped at this very first level.

Hence, we appeal to both the HK and Beijing government to stop the use of violence against its own people.  The people’s democratic government which was proclaimed in October 1, 1949, can only be more and never less democratic.  For this reason, arrest and detention as well as the use of teargas in dispersing a massive but peaceful assembly of mostly young people is patently undemocratic.

We call on the Hong Kong working class to join the democracy protests to break the impasse for the students cannot win the struggle on their own. But the Hong Kong workers must put the imprint of their class demands on the movement and march under their own banner of social justice and emancipation

We are also made aware that aside from the demand of ensuring promised democracy, the people were raising the issue of gaping inequality between the business elite and the working class in Hong Kong.  We acknowledge this as a worldwide phenomenon under this capitalist world thus we easily identify with the justness of bringing this call.

Furthermore, Hong Kong is also host to tens of thousands of Filipinos and other Asian workers.  Thus it is safe to assume that for many years they already have shared the values of the Hong Kong people in upholding democracy.  We likewise appeal to the Chinese government to treat migrant fairly in the face of this political uncertainty.

In solidarity,

The Executive Committee

Partido Manggagawa – Labor Party Philippines

30 September 2014

Solidarity Statement from Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor Party-Philippines) to the Hong Kong Protest Against Racist Demonstration

The Partido ng Manggagawa as the political party of the working class in the Philippines extends its hand of solidarity to the Hong Kong progressive workers and youth protest against the racist demonstration. The progressive workers and youth counter-demonstration communicates a message of unity and solidarity among peoples of different cultures and nationalities while the racist rally of councilor Paul Tse highlights the propaganda of discrimination and hate between locals and foreigners.

The workers in the Philippines support the anti-racist counter-demonstration not simply to assist our fellow Filipinos working in Hong Kong who are vulnerable and victim to discrimination and abuse. We back the counter-demonstration because we believe in working class unity that in a place like Hong Kong necessarily means solidarity among workers of different nationalities.

There are an estimated 150,000 Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong, most of who are domestic helpers and they comprise a third of such workers in this city. They obviously share the same conditions and interests as other migrant workers such as from Indonesia and Vietnam but also from mainland China, despite the differences in countries of origins, languages and cultures.

Contrary to the lies and propaganda of Paul Tse, migrant workers also share the same concerns and demands as local Hong Kong workers and youth. Because of their common destiny as waged labor, the interests and plight of locals and migrants are bound together. The colors of our skin may be different and we may speak diverse dialects but we are all workers who suffer from the exploitation and oppression of employers.

In fact it is capitalists and their agents like Paul Tse who benefit from splitting the ranks of workers and putting a Chinese wall between local and migrant labor. Only by uniting can workers advance its interests while disunity weakens our cause. Improving the wages and working conditions of migrants will ultimately lead to the betterment of local workers. And vice versa.

As can be seen from the track record of Paul Tse, he is not only a rabid racist but an anti-labor legislator. He was the only one who voted last year against a minimum wage in Hong Kong. Clearly he is not a superman as he advertises himself. But moreover he is not a defender of Hong Kong locals, a majority of whom are workers, as he claims. He is simply a protector of capitalist interests. In pursuit of this agenda, he wants to pit local against migrant workers. In this way, the ranks of the workers will weaken and our demands cannot be advanced by a united labor movement.

The Partido ng Manggagawa calls on our brother and sister migrant workers or OFWs as they called in the Philippines, to join and participate in the anti-racist counter demonstration on August 21.

Workers of the world unite! Manggagawa ng buong mundo, magkaisa!