Akbayan disqualification is hypocritical, says labor party

Press Release

October 5, 2012

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) today decried as “hypocritical” the move by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and its allied organizations to disqualify Akbayan as a party-list group. “Our political differences with Akbayan do not detract from the fact that they are as genuine a party-list as adobo is an original Pinoy dish,” asserted Renato Magtubo, PM national chair.

“KMU claims that Akbayan is not anymore a party of the marginalized since it is in coalition with the Aquino administration and its leaders are already in government. But the same was the political objective of KMU’s allied party-list groups when it forged an alliance with a different presidential candidate who just so happened lost in the last elections,” Magtubo explained.

Meanwhile PM called on the Comelec to make good on its declaration that it will rid the party-list system of “jokes, fakes and frauds.” “It is high time that the party-list system is cleansed and loopholes are plugged so that it does not become a backdoor entry for trapos who could not compete at the congressional district level. Despite its flaws, the party-list remains an opening for progressive groups to gain a foothold in Congress so as to advance the struggle for social reforms and social change,” Magtubo insisted.

Magtubo is a nominee of the PM Coalition whose petition for accreditation as a party-list organization is pending at the Comelec. PM Coalition is comprised of labor organizations like PM, the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA), United Cavite Workers Association, Solidarity of Cebu Workers and the Yellow Bus Labor Union in Mindanao.

“We commend KMU for exposing bogus party-list organizations like Mikey Arroyo’s Ang Galing Pinoy. But we cannot support their claim against Akbayan is which simply based on partisan and sectarian politics. Even as KMU and Akbayan are in partnership with rival factions of the ruling class, open or otherwise, their constituencies and programs nonetheless both remain representative of the so-called marginalized sectors,” Magtubo added.

“I remember that Akbayan is one of a few and brave progressive parties that pioneered participation in the party-list elections at a time when others criticized it as reformism and equated revolutionism with waging guerilla war in the mountains. Of course these erstwhile extremist groups later made a 180 degree turn without explanation and then pioneered unprincipled alliances with class enemies,” Magtubo elaborated.

Together with Etta Rosales of Akbayan, Magtubo was one of the original party-list representatives who won in the first party-list elections in 1998. In their first term, Magtubo and Rosales exposed the payola attending the passage of the EPIRA Law that groups now lambast as the root cause of the high electricity costs in the country, which is the most expensive in the world.

Simbahan nag-alay ng misa para sa manggagawa, martsa patungong Mendiola nagsimula na

Press Release
Mayo 1, 2009

Isang Misa ang inialay sa manggagawa ngayong umaga bilang bahagi ng selebrasyon ng Araw ng Paggawa. Pinangunahan ito ni Bishop Teodoro Bacani at ginanap sa simbahan ng Our Lady of Remedies (Malate Church) kung saan nagpalipas ng gabi ang mga lumahok sa Lakbayan ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

Binasa sa naturang misa ang isang pastoral statement mula kay Manila Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales. Ang Misa para sa Manggagawa ay iniaalay ng Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC) at ng Church Labor Conference para sa mga manggagawa at maralitang hinahagupit ngayon ng krisis.

Ayon kay Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), sa nakalipas na mga araw ay nagkaroon ng dayalogo ang mga lider manggagawa at maralita kay Cardinal Rosales upang hingin ang suporta ng simbahan para sa kampanya para sa proteksyon sa trabaho, paninirahan at kagalingan ng mga manggagawa at maralita.

Positibo umano ang naging resulta ng dayalogo dahil nangako ang simbahan na magiging kaagapay ng manggagawa ang simbahan para makamit ang konkretong mga kahilingan. Mula dito ay pormal na nabuo nitong nakaraang Lunes ang tinatawag na Church Labor Conference.

Isinusulong ng Church Labor Conference ang mga kagyat na kahilingan para sa proteksyon. Tampok dito ang unemployment subsidy para sa mga biktima ng layoff; rebersal ng desisyon ng Korte Suprema sa kaso ng Dusit Hotel; universal healthcare para sa mga biktima ng tanggalan at sa mga unemployed; reporma at ekspansyon sa programang patrabaho ng gubyerno; moratorium sa demolisyon; at moratorium sa tuition fee increase at iba pang mga bayarin.

Matapos ang misa sa Malate Church, nagsimulang magmartsa ang mga manggagawa at maralita patungong Liwasang Bonifacio upang sumanib sa iba pang grupo sa ilalim ng Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Maralita at Magsasaka para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago, o AM3. Inaasahang di bababa sa 10,000 katao ang makikilahok sa nasabing rali at martsa patungong tulay ng Mendiola. Sasabay din sa mga pagkilos ngayong araw ang mga tsapter ng PM sa Cebu, Bacolod, Ilo-ilo, Davao, GenSan, Iligan, at Dipolog.

Ayon pa kay Magtubo, ang hinahangad ng mga manggagawa ay pagbabago sa mga patakarang pang-ekonomiya na nagpapahirap sa masang Pilipino tulad ng liberalisasyon, deregulasyon, at pribatisasyon.

Ibang-iba umano ito sa isinusulong na cha-cha ng pamahalaang Arroyo na ang layunin ay proteksyunan ang kapangyarihan ng mga nasa poder at higit pang palayain ang pandarambong ng dayuhang kapital sa bansa.

Nationwide May 1 Activities

Answer to the Crisis: Bailout Workers, Reverse Policies

Calabarzon and NCR Lakbayan:
Displaced workers and urban poor from Cavite and Laguna to join other workers and poor from Bulacan and NCR in a Lakbayan that will pass by HUDCC and DOLE for a dialogue. The more than 1,000 Lakbayan participants will stay overnight at Malate Church. The morning of May 1st, a mass will be celebrated at Malate Church. The Lakbayan will end by merging with the Labor Unity rally at Liwasang Bonifacio at 11 a.m.

Cebu:
Displaced employees and MEPZ workers to join 1,000 union members in the rally by PM and the Solidarity of Cebu Workers. 8 a.m. assembly at Plaza Independencia, Cebu City then rally in front of DOLE where the rallyists will burn a copy of the Labor Code in protest at the inability of Labor officials to protect workers. March to downtown Colon to merge with the Cebu Labor Coalition for Labor Unity rally against the economic crisis.

Bacolod:
Some 1,000 industrial and farm workers from Bacolod City and the 3rd, 4th and 5th districts of Negros Occidental to have a march-rally at the Fountain of Justice

Iloilo:
Caravan of a hundred vehicles around Iloilo City then a mobilization by hundreds of workers and poor at the Plaza Letagay

Davao:
Some 200 workers and poor to have a forum then march by 5 p.m. along Reyes, San Pedro and Magallanes Sts.

General Santos City:
Rally by some 200 workers and poor

Iligan:
PM will join the Federation of Democratic Labor Organizations in a march from the St. Michael's Cathedral to the Freedom Park from 8 a.m. to noon. In the afternoon, the May Day 2009 Committee of the Civil Society Organizations Forum for Peace to spearhead a series of activities including a concert at the Freedom Park to commemorate Labor Day

Dipolog:
Forum on the economic crisis to be sponsored by Church, NGO’s and PO’s including PM

Keppel management settles dispute, union declares partial victory

Press Release
April 8, 2009

The management and union of the large Keppel Cebu shipyard this afternoon signed a memorandum of agreement spelling out the terms of a settlement over the month-long labor dispute over mass layoffs. The Keppel union considered the agreement as a “partial victory in the tactical fight against retrenchment.”

Roger Igot, president of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Baradero (NMB) Keppel Shipyard-National Federation of Labor (NFL), said that “We were able to preserve the union and more than half of the regular workforce. Thus we will have a new collective bargaining negotiations come December whether under the present management or the new company that will undertake shipbuilding operations.”

The memorandum of agreement stipulates that management will not declare another redundancy and may use only persuasion in making workers accept the company’s offer for alternative employment in their other shipyards both locally and abroad. The agreement also allows any worker among the 70 that were retrenched through redundancy to contest their termination in a proper forum with the help of the union.

Renato Magtubo, chairperson of Partido ng Manggagawa, asserted that “The agreement is merely a ceasefire in the class struggle. At the moment the balance of forces tilted in favor of the workers through their militant struggle and labor solidarity among Cebu unions. The Giardini del Sole workers formula of militant struggle against mass layoffs has proved successful once more.”

In the course of more than a month, the Keppel union has engaged in sitdown protests and rallies at the shipyard gates with the support of the Solidarity of Cebu Workers (SCW). The Keppel union has a pending notice of strike and assails management for using the mass layoffs as a means to bust the union and replace the regular workforce with contractual workers. The memorandum of agreement enjoins both parties from engaging in any acts that will exacerbate the dispute. In concrete this means that the management will not push through with another redundancy while the union will follow through on the strike.

“The labor dispute at Keppel, the layoffs at Lear and other factories at the Mactan Export Processing Zone belie government claims. It is wishful thinking on the part of government to say that layoffs are over. The good news over more hiring than firings are just fairy tales. Still we call on all workers to challenge government’s promises of assistance for the displaced including the temporary unemployment insurance of P10,000 per month for six months. Workers should claim these benefits and protection through protest and struggle,” argued Magtubo.

Workers protest layoffs at Keppel

Press Release
April 4, 2009

The Keppel Cebu union with supporters from the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) held a rally outside the shipyard’s gates in protest at the redundancy program of management. The 10 a.m. mass action was in reaction to the list of 70 workers to be terminated for redundancy that was released by management yesterday. Together with 47 workers who had earlier availed of management’s retirement program, this meant that the total 280 regular workforce will be reduced by almost half.

Roger Igot, president of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Baradero (NMB) Keppel Shipyard-National Federation of Labor (NFL), said that “The redundancy announced by management is tainted with bad faith since negotiations with the union on the issue are still ongoing. This is an early Black Friday for the 70 workers who are to be jobless due to redundancy.”

Around 100 protesters picketed the Keppel Cebu shipyard with the delegation from PM coming from workers of General Milling Corp., Lami Foods, Neostone, Prince Warehouse, Giardini del Sole and residents of nearby communities of Looc and Poblacion. “The fight of Keppel workers for jobs is the fight of all Cebuano workers,” declared Dennis Derige, spokesperson for PM-Cebu.

Last March 15, the union filed a notice of strike alleging union busting and the next day an overwhelming majority of the members voted for a work stoppage. Igot also disclosed that Keppel Sing-marine Philippines, Inc. has filed with the Board of Investments for pioneer status. Keppel Sing-marine Philippines will supposedly employ 620 workers through the P590-million facility for making tugboats and support vessels.

“That means once Keppel Cebu terminates many of the 280 regular workers and union members then the remaining employees will be a minority among more than 500 contractuals of Keppel Sing-marine. The contractual workers will only be paid the minimum wage and moreover will be without the protection of a union and benefit of a collective bargaining agreement,” insisted Igot.

Derige added that “How ironic that while Keppel may receive generous perks such as tax-and duty-free importation of capital equipment, income tax holiday of up to six years and exemption from wharf dues, export tax and import fees, it demolishes regular jobs and destroy workers lives. Foreign capitalists get corporate welfare while Filipino workers are denied social protection. Any company that will get assistance from the government must be prohibited from mass layoffs.”

Labor dispute erupts at Cebu shipyard

Press Release
March 11, 2009

A labor dispute is festering at the Keppel ship repair facilities in Cebu that may soon erupt into a strike. The management of Keppel shipyard wants to shift from ship repair to ship building and in the process downsize its workforce. The Keppel labor union is however resisting management attempt to layoff workers.

“Keppel is using the global crisis as an alibi to destroy the union and replace regular jobs with contractual workers,” Roger Igot, president of the Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Baradero (Keppel Shipyard)-National Federation of Labor alleged. As an initial protest, members of the Keppel union stayed overnight inside the shipyard facilities yesterday and will continue the mass action today when their shift ends. “We sacrificed quality time with our families in order to protect the security of our jobs,” Igot explained.

Last February 20, management proposed a plan for forced leave but the union disagreed citing the heavy presence of contractual workers. The proposal did not push through. Then on February 27, management offered a voluntary resignation package which the union also rejected because it shortchanged the workers. The same day, in a preventive mediation hearing at the National Mediation and Conciliation Board, the workers questioned management’s move to hire new contractuals without informing the union as stipulated in their collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Last Monday, management threatened the workers that it will file redundancy if they do not avail of the resignation package.

“There is no basis for redundancy since ship building will require more not less workers compared to ship repair even if they introduce new machines since it is intrinsically labor intensive. The real issue is that management wants to squeeze more profit by cheapening labor costs. Management pays a regular Keppel worker much higher wages and benefits compared to a contractual laborer who makes do with below minimum wages and no benefits,” Igot insisted.

Tomorrow a rally in support of the Keppel union will be held by affiliates of the Solidarity of Cebu Workers, displaced Cebu workers and members of the Partido ng Manggagawa. They will picket outside the gates of the Keppel shipyard in solidarity with the workers staying inside the compound.

The union also says that there are no signs that Keppel is bleeding. It will pay profit sharing later this week. There is an ongoing shipyard development project worth P300 million. While an incentive bonus was released last February.

The union also assails management for bad faith in negotiations since its statements are contradictory. Igot added that “Management intends to deceive the workers if they can get away with it. In our CBA negotiations in June of last year, they were saying that we need not worry since more workers will be hired when Keppel turns to ship building.”

The union believes that despite the global crisis, Keppel’s business remains strong and any supposed business losses due to the global crisis are just an alibi to get rid of the regular workforce and bust the union.