Council Resolution filed for local probe on Armscor explosion

 

Photo from TV5

A city council resolution to conduct an inquiry was filed by Marikina City Councilor, Renato Magtubo, following a deadly explosion that occurred yesterday at the Armscor Global Defense Manufacturing facility in Marikina, resulting in the death of two workers and other reported injuries.

 

In his resolution, which is scheduled to pass first reading today, Magtubo is asking the City Council to direct several committees, including the peace and order, public safety and security, and labor and capital relations, to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation to ascertain the cause of the explosion as well as the level of accountability the company is liable to - for workers and the community.

 

Magtubo, who is also the chairperson of Partido Manggagawa (PM), noted that this was the second time that fire and explosion occurred at the same facility. “On February 29, 2024, a fire also occurred at the same facility, causing significant damage and injuring four people,” stated Magtubo.

 

“Huwag din nating kalimutan ang nangyari sa Kentex dahil habang nauulit ang mga ganito, makikita na hindi tayo nagbabago,” he added.

 

The resolution demands thereafter the submission of the Inquiry Report to the City Council with findings and recommendations, including:

 

1.           Amendments to existing ordinances on industrial safety, the handling of hazardous materials, and emergency response;

2.           Policy recommendations to national agencies for stricter enforcement of safety regulations, and;

3.           Measures to enhance corporate accountability and community protection.

 

Earlier, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition also called on concerned government agencies to conduct the same inquiry, saying the recurrence of such deadly workplace accidents is unacceptable.

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

Renato Magtubo

National Chairperson

City Councilor, Marikina City 

P76 have been shaved off the P570 minimum wage in NCR due to inflation

Photo from PhilStar

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) stated that P76 has been eroded from the P570 minimum wage in Metro Manila as a result of the continuous rise in prices. “We call for a new round of wage hikes to recover the lost purchasing power of workers not just in Metro Manila but in the whole country due to the surge in inflation. We call on Congress to legislate a P100 across-the-board salary increase for all workers as relief from the shock of rising prices,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and a city councilor of Marikina.

 

Inflation in October reached 7.7%, significantly higher than the 6.9% in September. The October inflation figure was the highest recorded since December 2008, which was in the context of the onset of the global financial crisis. Notably, inflation is higher in areas outside Metro Manila.

 

PM’s demand for a wage hike is based on an initial computation by the Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN-SENTRO). The computation for wage erosion took account of the rise in prices since the effectivity of the P570 minimum wage in Metro Manila last June 4.

 

“The P570 minimum wage in NCR is actually just worth P494 by October. P76 has been shaved off the real value of the minimum wage and workers are now poorer by that amount every day. Before the P33 minimum wage hike in June 2022, the minimum wage was P537. Meaning, not only has the P33 been effectively wiped out by inflation, workers’ wages have pushed back even further,” Magtubo explained.

 

He insisted that “Thus, we reiterate the call we made in May 2022—before the recent round of minimum wage hikes in June 2022 by different regional wage boards—for a P100 wage increase. This should be for all workers, not just those at the minimum, since all have suffered from wage erosion.”

 

The group clarified that the wage hike demand is merely wage recovery. “We are not yet even talking of workers claiming a just share in the fruits of their labor. From 2001 to 2016, real wages stagnated but labor productivity increased by 50% and the GDP doubled,” Magtubo maintained.

 

“Of course, employers will again create horror scenarios of closures and bankruptcy against the workers' demand for a wage hike. They will cry that they are suffering from the economic crisis even though they monopolized the gains of the decade and half-long business boom. Not only does the government owe workers due to unabated inflation but also employers are obligated to share the wealth created by the labor of the working class,” Magtubo expounded.

November 4, 2022

Belittling new surge in COVID-19 is perpetuating ‘kapalpakan’ – labor group

President Duterte’s downplaying of the impact of the new surge in COVID-19 cases is unsettling rather than reassuring, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) said in a statement Tuesday, as the rise in new cases of infection is happening in the face of vaccine shortage and persistent unemployment.

“Kung ang kalapit nating bansa ay nakaalpas na sa pandemya matapos ang isang taon, tapos tayo ay tumataas pa ang kaso, meron tayong problema: MALAKI, hindi maliit,” declared PM Chair Renato Magtubo on his social media post.

Magtubo, who is also a City Councilor of Marikina, said this is no time for leaders to understate a lingering problem especially if this leadership is facing a backlash over its mishandling of the crisis over the last twelve months.

The President’s statement came after the #DutertePalpak hashtag trended online on Monday, coinciding with the anniversary of the declaration of hard lockdown in the National Capital Region (NCR).

It can also be recalled that when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic, Duterte even poked fun at the virus, saying it will die a natural death even without a vaccine.  He also introduced using gasoline for sanitizing facemasks.

“Mahirap nang bolahing muli ang mamamayan ngayon, lalo na ang milyong manggagawa na matapos ma-lockdown at mawalan ng trabaho noong nakaraang taon ay naka-lockout pa rin ngayon at nagtitiis sa gutom,” said Magtubo.

According to PM, aside from the 4.5 million jobless workers in 2020, many remain on a ’floating status’ after losing their jobs last year. And because they are out of work yet not being terminated, their status remains ‘employed but not at work’. The group said employers resort to floating their workers indefinitely to avoid paying them separation benefits.

Magtubo said the re-imposition of curfew, or worse, a new hard lockdown would discourage more workers to find new jobs or for businesses to resume full operations.

“So, hindi ito maliit na problema, Mr. President. Ang totoong nakita kasi ng manggagawa sa nakalipas na taon ay ang maliit ninyong solusyon,” concluded Magtubo.

PM, together with Nagkaisa labor coalition, have been pushing for balik-trabahong ligtas and the rollout of income and employment guarantees to address unemployment problems and enhance the capacity of the state on health and climate response.

16 March 2021

Mass testing gamit ang RT-PCR, full coverage ng Philhealth sa kaso ng Covid-19

Mamamatay ang ekonomiya kapag hindi nakabalik sa trabaho ang mga manggagawa. Pero kapag mahawa ng Covid-19 ang maraming manggagawa, mahahawa ang buong bansa.

Kung nais ng pamahalaan na unti-unti nang luwagan ang ECQ, bumalik sa trabaho na ligtas ang mga manggagawa, muling umandar ang ekonomiya at manatiling ligtas ang buong bansa sa Covid-19, ang kailangan ay mabisang paraan ng mass testing, hindi ang mabilisan ngunit walang katiyakan na rapid antibody test.

At para mabigyan ng dagdag na kumpyansa ang mga manggagawa na bumalik sa trabaho sa kabila ng panganib, kailangan silang bigyan ng kasiguruhan na sakaling maging biktima ng Covid-19 ay sasagutin ng Philhealth ang full coverage ng kanilang pagpapagamot at pagpapagaling. Ibig sabihin, dapat baguhin ng Philhealth ang patakaran nang bumalik ito sa case rate sa kaso ng Covid-19.

Mahigpit naming sinusubaybayan hindi lamang ang mga ayudang ipinangako para sa kabuhayan ng manggagawa kundi maging ang mga hakbang medikal sa bansa at sa buong mundo upang epektibong malabanan ang virus.

Kung kayat kami ay nabahala sa naging pahayag ng Pangulo kamakailan, kasama ang kinatawan ng mga negosyante na si Joey Concepcion, na magpapatupad ng malawakang rapid antibody test sa lebel ng mga pagawaan bilang kondisyon sa pagbabalik sa trabaho ng mga manggagawa.

Mahigit apatnapung milyon (40M) na manggagawa ang babalik sa paghahanapbuhay sa ibat-ibang paraan sakaling alisin na ang lockdown. Sa kanilang ligtas na pagbabalik-trabaho nakasalalay hindi lamang ang ating ekonomiya kundi ang kaligtasan ng ating bansa.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit tinutulan namin ang paggamit sa rapid antibody test dahil mismong ang World Health Organization (WHO), mga scientist at medical experts ay hindi rekomendado ang paraan na ito kumpara sa Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction Test (RT-PCR) na subok na sa buong mundo. Ang ating DOH mismo ay naglabas ng guidelines laban dito, kasama ang infographic na nagpapaliwanag sa kaibahan ng dalawa.  At kahit ang Food and Drug Administration na nagpahintulot sa paggamit ng limang brand ng rapid test na ito ay nagsabi na kailangan pa rin ang PCR-based confirmatory test matapos nito.

Samakatwid, ang mataas na rate ng false negatives na inaasahan ng mga eksperto mula sa rapid antibody test ay hindi lamang magsasayang ng oras at rekurso sa paraan na ito kundi magbibigay pa ito ng maling kumpyansa at magbabaliwala sa kaligtasan ng manggagawa pagkatapos ng lockdown.

Bilang alternatibo, ang dapat mas bilisan at palawakin ng pamahalaan ay ang mass testing gamit ang RT-PCR. At magiging realidad lamang ito kung sa lebel ng mga LGU ito palalawakin katulad ng inisyatiba ng lungsod ng Marikina. Ang ganitong hakbang ang dapat suportahan ng pondo ng national government at ng mayayamang may-ari ng mga industriya at negosyo, hindi ang ekspiremento ng rapid antibody test na malamang ay maghatid pa sa atin sa kapahamakan.

Habang papalapit ang Araw ng Paggawa, patuloy na nagpapahayag ng paninindigan at mga kahilingan ang Partido Manggagawa (PM) sa pamahalaan para sa kapakanan ng uring manggagawa, kasama ang iba pang mga samahan ng paggawa sa buong bansa.

Sa partikular, itinutulak ng PM ang tatlong kahilingan. Ang mga ito ay: (1) Ayudang Sapat Para sa Lahat; (2) Extensyon ng ayuda lagpas sa panahon ng lockdown at ligtas na pagbabalik s trabaho ng mga manggagawa; at, (3) Mas makataong tugon sa krisis, hindi militarisasyon.

18 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

Cigarette firm lost P4.5B in production due to month-long strike--union

 

Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. has lost some P4.5 billion in production due to a month-long strike, according to the union. The Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) has been on strike since September 28 and has maintained picketlines at the factories in Parang, Marikina and Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

“We estimate that in every shift, some P60 million worth of cigarettes have not been produced as scheduled. In three shifts per day, that is a total of P180 million. In the 25 lost production days since the start of the strike, that is about P4.5 billion,” declared Rey Almendras, PMFTCLU president.

Workers unrest is rising with a series of labor strikes in recent months and the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco strike is the biggest yet. Another mediation meeting is scheduled by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on November 9 in Marikina near the picketline.

In contrast, NutriAsia announced in July that it had lost P200 million in income in the course of one month due to the strike at its Marilao plant.

In August the Lucio Tan Group announced a P3.63 billion total income for the first quarter of this year. Some P2.35B or 65% of the total income of the Lucio Tan Group came from its tobacco business.

“The Constitution mandates that workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production. But at PMFTC, retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting key performance indicators,” argued Almendras.

PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories. Moreover, the Vigan plant is now being operated by a new entity but with contractual workers.

Photos of the strike can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/

November 5, 2018

Workers protest as DOLE mediates dispute at leading cigarette firm

Workers of Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC) picketed this afternoon the Intramuros office of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board while mediation was ongoing between management and the union. Members of the Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) and their supporters carried placards that said “Job security not redundancy” and “Welga sagot sa tanggalan.”

The leading cigarette manufacturer shut down its Vigan, Ilocos Sur redrying plant affecting 90 workers and also laid off 220 workers (a third of the 600 workforce) at Marikina factory last week. In response the union filed notice of strike last Thursday and started protests.

“The Constitution mandates that workers receive their fair share of the fruits of production. But at Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco, retrenchment was the company’s reward for increased labor productivity and workers meeting key performance indicators. What kind of system is this?,” argued Rene Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa and former president of the Marikina union.

Yesterday the Lucio Tan Group announced a P3.63 billion total income for the first quarter of this year. Some P2.35B or 65% of the total income of the Lucio Tan Group came from its tobacco business.

The PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories.

“Management told the union that the Vigan plant will be closed and sold to another entity. No other details were given. This raises the suspicion that this is another outsourcing program similar to the contractualization scheme at Philippine Airlines,” declared Gerry Rivera, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA-TUCP) and head of the newly formed Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa. Both PALEA and PMFTCLU are members of the Kapatiran.

He declared that “We express support for the fight of PMFTCLU for job security and against union busting. Ang laban ng isa ay laban ng lahat.”

“PMFTC management has been absolutely opaque behind the misnamed right-sizing plan. When management first discussed the plan before the union last week, they withheld the names of workers affected, they did not disclose how the termination process will proceed and finally they did not give any solid basis for the closure and redundancy. And then just hours after the meeting with the union, management unveiled its surprise gift to unsuspecting workers who were cajoled into signing separation without the presence of union officers who barred from entering the factory,” Magtubo elaborated.

Photos of the protests can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/

August 15, 2018

Leading cigarette firm threatened by strike over mass layoff

The workers of Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC), the leading cigarette manufacturer in the country, are preparing to strike in response to the mass layoff in its Marikina factory and the shutdown of its Vigan plant. The Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp. Labor Union (PMFTCLU-NAFLU) today filed a notice of strike over the termination of a third of the workforce of the Parang, Marikina factory and the closure of the Vigan, Ilocos Sur tobacco redrying plant.

“PMFTC is highly profitable and workers have met the key performance indicators so why are 90 union members in Vigan and another 220 in Marikina being retrenched? After being productive and efficient, workers are now being made to sacrifice? What kind of system is this?,” argued Rene Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa and former president of the Marikina union.

Both the Vigan and Marikina plants were closed since yesterday and no employees were allowed to work. The union held an emergency mass meeting yesterday that was attended by a majority of the work force. A protest at the Marikina factory gate was launched after the assembly. Today, a morning and afternoon picket-protest was again held.

The PMFTCLU is alleging unfair labor practice over the closure and retrenchment. The union slammed the bad faith and deceit attending the so-called right-sizing plan of management. The group believes that union busting is the real agenda as the non-union sister factory in Sto. Tomas, Batangas just regularized 100 contractual employees. In contrast, the Marikina and Vigan plants are both unionized factories.

“We express support for the fight of PMFTCLU for job security and against union busting. Ang laban ng isa ay laban ng lahat,” declared Gerry Rivera, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA-TUCP) and head of the newly formed Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa. Both PALEA and PMFTCLU are members of the Kapatiran.

“Management told the union that the Vigan plant will be closed and sold to another entity. No other details were given. This raises the suspicion that this is another outsourcing program similar to the contractualization scheme at Philippine Airlines,” Rivera insisted.

“PMFTC management has been absolutely opaque behind the misnamed right-sizing plan. When management first discussed the plan before the union two days ago, they withheld the names of workers affected, they did not disclose how the termination process will proceed and finally they did not give any solid basis for the closure and redundancy. And then just hours after the meeting with the union, management unveiled its surprise gift to unsuspecting workers who were cajoled into signing separation without the presence of union officers who barred from entering the factory,” Magtubo elaborated.

Photos of the mass meeting and protests today and yesterday can be accessed at PMFTCLU’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/zpipsamonte/

9 August 2018