Workers win prohibition on endo and contractualization after dialogue with PDU30

After decades of consistent struggle against the epidemic of contractualization, workers may finally get their demand for its total prohibition, at least at the level of the Office of the President. 

 

This chance became clearer when the President, after a three-hour dialogue with labor leaders Monday evening, demonstrated empathy and understanding for the plight of Filipino workers by reiterating his position that he is not going to renege on his promise to end contractualization both in the private and public sector.

 

“Ayoko itong agency agency... walang agency agency hiring. Kawawa ang worker sa ganito,” declared President Duterte during the meeting as he directed Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to come out with a Department Order that will meet the objective of restoring the norm of regular jobs through direct hiring.

 

DOLE was also instructed to resolve the 2011 PAL-PALEA dispute on outsourcing the soonest time possible.

 

Furthermore, the President indicated that he was inclined to honor the request of labor to certify HB 4444 of Rep. Raymond Mendoza (TUCP Partylist) as an urgent administration measure.

 

The President pointed out that contractualization only enriches the employer but keeps the workers poor and unable to plan a better life for the future.  He also added that many agencies are also owned by the employers and are just a legal camouflage to prevent the regularization of workers and to defeat the workers 'exercise of their rights under the Constitution.

 

The dialogue ended months of speculation in the business community that the President may only be after agencies that were practicing endo (the hiring of workers only for five months) as he categorically stated that his policy extends fully to ending contractualization through middlemen or manpower agencies.

 

More than a third of total workforce employed in establishments employing 20 workers and above is considered ‘non-regular’, according to the latest survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The number would rise significantly had the survey covered firms employing 20 workers and below as they comprise more than 90% of registered business establishments.

 

Now the DOLE was instructed to play hardball and a major challenge is posed upon Congress as well. Will DOLE officials and members of Congress who, during the past several months, were pushing for the compromise position (win-win) being proposed by the DTI and employers’ groups finally toe the line of the President?  

 

We therefore urge our fellow workers to remain vigilant to make sure that government bodies under instruction to comply with our demands do not stray out of line.  This recent advance in our struggle for decent work confirms the power of unions and organized resistance in winning the battle against anti-labor policies.

 

Hundreds of Nagkaisa members kept vigil and lit candles at the foot of Mendiola while their leaders meet the President last night. A day of action by women workers will also be held on March 6 and 8.

 

The President also made several other commitments that we need to press forward, including our proposals to review and make changes to the old regime of wage setting; the signing of ILO Convention 151 for the public sector; representation in tripartite bodies; deputization of labor leaders as inspectors; and the holding of regular dialogues with labor, including meeting with the striking transport workers.

 

It ain’t over until it’s over. Workers have a world to win. The struggle goes on.

Nagkaisa

28 February 2017

PNoy’s SONA: Long in duration, short on its claim

Press Statement

July 24, 2012

President Benigno Aquino III’s SONA speech may have been the longest in history but it falls short on its claim of historic changes under his administration. The changes instituted are merely superficial not thoroughgoing. No social and economic reform has been implemented in the last two years and none forthcoming. PNoy even lacks the commitment to push for the Freedom of Information bill which should be a plank of his good governance advocacy.

PNoy asserts that good governance is leading to palpable improvements but only social justice will bring concrete change to ordinary peoples’ lives. Glaringly absent from the tons of numbers and data mentioned in PNoy’s SONA are statistics on poverty and hunger. It is no wonder since despite a decade of so-called GNP growth, the number of poor and hungry have remained intractable.

GNP growth only means increasing numbers of ‘Gutom Na Pilipino’ for workers and the poor. From 2003-2009 the economy grew by an average of 4.8% but the number of poor Filipinos increased from 19.8 million to 23.1 million. Poverty will not be dented no matter how many cases are filed against former president Gloria Arroyo and how many of her minions are jailed together with ex-Comelec chief Benjamin Abalos.

Regular jobs and living wages are needed not the conditional cash transfer which is a band-aid solution at best. Among the ASEAN nations, the Philippines has the most persistent incidence of poverty (defined as living on less than US$1.25 a day). We have the highest percentage of slum residents as a percent of its urban population among six Asian countries.

While the employment rate went up, as PNoy insisted, the number of underemployed—those who have work but are still seeking work—has increased from 7.6 million in April 2011 to 7.8 million in April 2012. Even as PNoy remains hardline in the struggle to bring Arroyo to justice, he is nonetheless is soft on the fight for social justice against entrenched vested interests. He was challenged and found wanting on the issue of outsourcing at Philippine Airlines which is the biggest labor dispute in the country. PNoy may have garnered the confidence of investors for the privatization projects under the Public-Private Partnerhip program, but he has earned the ire of workers for his approval of contractualization at the flag carrier.

Truly the real state of the nation is reflected in the lack of jobs, food, housing and justice for the Filipino masses. To tackle the challenges of destitution and joblessness, the anti-corruption campaign of President Aquino will not suffice. The answer lies in taking a new path of development away from the Aquinomics of privatization, contractualization and globalization.

“New path of development” called for in counter-SONA

Press Release

July 23, 2012

Several thousand workers will join the counter-SONA protest today to call for a “new path of development” and “alternative economics” as they insisted that poverty and unemployment has not been eradicated despite a decade of economic growth. “The anti-corruption campaign of President Aquino will not solve the problem of destitution and joblessness. The answer lies in taking a new path of development away from the Aquinomics of privatization, contractualization and globalization,” declared Renato Magtubo, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) chairperon.

Whether it rains or shines, some 1,000 members of PM are ready to join the “March for Alternative Economics” together with the labor coalition Nagkaisa (United) and the multisectoral alliances Freedom from Debt Coalition and Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (Campaign for a Humane Life). A total of 7,000 rallyists will march for “alternative economics” starting at 1:00 pm from the corner of Luzon and Commonwealth Avenues then proceed to the Batasang Pambansa.

“It is expected that PNoy will trumpet inclusive growth under his administration. But for workers and the poor, GNP growth only means increasing numbers of ‘Gutom Na Pilipino,’” Magtubo added.

Gerry Rivera, president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA), said that “Even as PNoy garners the confidence of investors for the privatization projects under the Public-Private Partnerhip program, he has earned the ire of workers for his approval of outsourcing and contractualization at Philippine Airlines.”

Meanwhile PM echoed the criticism of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) against President Aquino for omiiting the Reproductive Health bill among his government’s priority bills and the House of Representatives for its indifference and utter disregard to the plight of poor and working women.

“This is PNoy’s third SONA and women’s mortality rate has increased to 221 per 100,000 live births in 2011 from 162 per 100,000 live births in 2009.  Besides the fact that the Philippines must lower the maternal mortality rate to 52 per 100,000 live births, the important matter is how the executive and legislative view women’s right to reproductive health care.” explained PM secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda.

“Regular job and living wages are needed not the conditional cash transfer which is a band-aid solution at best. From 2003-2009 the economy grew by an average of 4.8% but the number of poor Filipinos increased from 19.8 million to 23.1 million. Poverty will not be dented no matter how many cases are filed against former president Gloria Arroyo and how many of her minions are jailed together with ex-Comelec chief Benjamin Abalos,” Rivera stressed.

Magtubo reiterated that “Among the ASEAN nations, the Philippines have the most persistent incidence of poverty (defined as living on less than US$1.25 a day). The Philippines has the highest percentage of slum population as a percent of its urban population among six Asian countries.”

Alternatibong ekonomiya, hiling ng manggagawa sa kontra-SONA

Press Release

July 22, 2012

Libu-libong manggagawa ang lalahok sa kontra-SONA na ilulunsad ng mga grupo bukas upang hilingin ang “isang alternatibong ekonomiya” at “bagong landas ng pag-unlad.” “Ang patuloy na kahirapan ng milyun-milyong Pilipino ay di matutugunan lang ng tuwid na landas ng kontra-katiwalian. Ang kailangan ay bagong landas ng pag-unlad palayo sa pribatisasyon, kontraktwalisasyon at globalisasyon,” ani Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

Umulan man o umaraw ay nakahanda ang 1,000 kasapi ng PM upang sumanib sa “Martsa para sa Alternatibong Ekonomiya” na lalahukan ng labor coalition na Nagkaisa at multisectoral alliances na Freedom from Debt Coalition at Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay. Nasa 7,000 ang kabuuang bilang ng raliyista ang magmamartsa para sa “alternatibong ekonomiya” mula ala una

sa Luzon Ave.

corner Commonwealth Ave. tungong Batasang Pambansa.

“Inaasahan na magpapasikat si Pangulong Aquino sa SONA tungkol sa inclusive growth sa ilalim ng kanyang administrasyon. Pero para sa manggagawa at maralita, ang tanging kahulugan ng GNP growth ay dumadaming ‘Gutom Na Pilipino,’” dagdag ni Magtubo.

Paliwanag naman ni Gerry Rivera, pangulo ng PALEA, “Nakakakuha man ang pamamahala ni PNoy ng kumpyansa mula sa investors, umaani naman ng batikos mula manggagawa ang kanyang pagsang-ayon sa kontraktwalisasyon sa Philippine Airlines.”

“Regular na trabaho at sweldong nakabubuhay ang kailangan hindi CCT na pantawid-gutom lang. Mula 2003 hanggang 2009, umunlad ang ekonomiya ng humigit-kumulang 4.8% pero ang bilang ng naghihikahos na Pilipino ay lumaki pa rin mula 19.8 milyon hanggang 23.1 milyon. Hindi ito magbabago kahit pa ilang kaso ang madagdag kay Gloria Arroyo at ilan pang tauhan niya ang makulong kasama ni Abalos,” diin ni Rivera.

Noise barrage today at two NCR chokepoints continue labor-led protests vs. con-ass

Press Release
June 9, 2009

The militant Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will lead the noise barrage at two chokepoints in Metro Manila today as labor-led protests against con-ass and cha-cha continued. At 2 p.m. some 300 urban poor will mobilize at Paranaque. While at 6 p.m. another group of 300 Manila residents and PM members will hold a separate noise barrage.

“The distrust and disapproval ratings of Gloria Arroyo are an early plebiscite on cha-cha. That one in every two Filipinos distrust and disapprove of Gloria Arroyo expresses the people’s rejection of the attempt to extend her term through con-ass,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.

Members of PM and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino in Paranaque marched from their communities to the Bicutan palengke at the Bicutan interchange for the noise barrage. Residents of the Balic-Balic community led by the Holy Trinity Parish priest Fr. Erik Adoviso will be joined by PM members for the noise barrage at Welcome Rotonda. Fr. Erik Adoviso is head of the Archbishop of Manila Labor Ministry.

“We appeal to religious leaders to reject the courting from Malacanang and to stand firm against con-ass. The sweet talk from Malacanang is mere double talk. The workers protests are in response to the Catholic Church’s call versus con-ass and are parallel to multisectoral movement against cha-cha. The working class adds its voice to the people’s indignation over the railroading of con-ass and the desperate attempt to extend GMA’s term,” explained Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary general.

She stated that “We call on the people to make noise today or else we will wake up tomorrow with Gloria Arroyo remaining in power as prime minister. She is already earnestly campaigning with 15 trips to Pampanga in less than four months or once a week. There is no other reason for Gloria Arroyo’s visits except to woo voters for a run at the congressional seat now occupied by her son. Gloria Arroyo as a prime minister means the old dog returning with a new collar.”

“The denials of the trapos who sponsored signed Resolution 1109 cannot be believed like the generals who talk of peace even as they prepare for war. The 2010 polls that Nograles and others speak of will be elections for the members of parliament not a new president,” insisted Magtubo.

“Revising the Constitution will pave the way not just for GMA’s perpetuation in power but also the annihilation of the token protection for labor rights and national patrimony that remains in the Constitution,” Magtubo clarified as the basis for labor’s opposition to cha-cha.

Labor group asks SSS to allot more funds for displaced workers from increased revenue

PRESS RELEASE
21 April 2009

The militant labor party-list group, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), is urging the Social Security System (SSS) to allocate more funds for displaced workers given the reported increase in the pension fund’s income last year.

SSS Executive Vice-President Horacio T. Templo declared the other day that the pension fund’s net revenue reached P22.8 billion in 2008 from P12.1 billion in the previous year, or an increase of 88 percent. The increase, according to Templo, mainly came from the sale of its shares in Meralco and Banco De Oro. Membership contribution also rose 11.4%, from P61.8 billion to P68.9 billion. In effect, the fund’s return on investment rose to 10.9% from 8% in 2007.

Labor first

PM chair Renato Magtubo said this is welcome news for labor, yet this can only be true if benefits from this rise in revenue redound directly to the real owners of the fund – the private sector employees who are now reeling from the impact of the global economic crisis.

In the face of the raging economic crisis, the labor leader challenged the government to promote a “labor first policy” not only to protect labor rights during crisis but also to serve as a policy guide for the better and appropriate use of our resources.

“For so many years we workers are not even aware of how our pension fund is being managed and where our contributions are being invested. Many times we hear of reports that the fund is being used to bail out private firms. Perhaps this is our turn to demand that our fund be used to bailout the workers in the face of the raging economic crisis,” stressed Magtubo.

Earlier, the SSS contributed some P12.5-B to President Arroyo’s P330-B ‘stimulus package’, which is most likely to be used, as feared by many sectors, for patronage politics.

Reversal of “no loan policy”

Magtubo added that Templo’s disclosure effectively reversed the fund’s previous pronouncements that it has run out of money to extend assistance to workers affected by the crisis.

It is recalled that early last month, SSS Chair Romulo Neri, defended the fund’s “no loan policy” for laid-off workers, saying that the 10% mandated ceiling for benefits has already been breached. Neri was only forced to reverse his position when the Partido ng Manggagawa protested the callousness of such a policy. A week later, the SSS announced that it has allocated P500 million for displaced workers.

But the labor group said the P500 million window is surely not enough to mitigate the impact of massive job loss. Only about 50,000 displaced workers can avail of the fund if they are provided a P10,000 one-month unemployment subsidy. The labor department, however, said that some 40,000 workers lost their jobs since October while over a hundred thousand are either affected by reduced work hours and wage cuts. And the number is still growing especially in the export zones.

PM insists that direct subsidy or loan facilities for displaced SSS members be extended to at least six months, as their transition to finding new jobs takes longer due to the deepening economic crisis. NEDA Director-General Ralph Recto estimated the cost of this measure to about P7 billion.

Extending unemployment subsidy/insurance to displaced workers is one of the demands in the “bailout package for workers and the poor” advocated by the Partido ng Manggagawa. Other demands include a tax refund, reform and expansion of public employment program, extension of healthcare coverage, and moratorium on demolitions and evictions.

The group is also demanding the reversal of liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies, which it claims, were responsible for the country’s chronic underdevelopment.

PM, along with other labor groups, are set to launch series of protest actions including a “Lakbayan” to press for those demands leading to a bigger Labor Day action on May 1.

Laid off regular workers face tough times in years ahead, study says

PRES RELEASE
15 February 2009

Workers who lose regular jobs in the current crisis are in for tough times—with or without a recovery in the job market. Displaced workers face low re-employment rates and significant wage losses in the short and medium term as they compete with younger workers over mostly non-regular work, contractual, casual and piece-rate jobs.

The dismal prospects faced by workers displaced by the global recession that has already claimed tens of thousands of local jobs can be gleaned from a study of displaced workers done in 2008 by the Angelo King Institute of the De La Salle University.

The study, authored by Clarence Pascual, an economist, was presented yesterday at a forum held at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City. The forum was organized by the Partido ng Manggagawa as part of its 8th founding anniversary celebration.

The study surveyed some 150 production workers of a local garments company that closed shop in November 2003. It looked into the employment experience and current labor force status of displaced workers five years after layoff. Extensive interviews with displaced workers from four other companies were also conducted to gather qualitative data and insights on life after layoff.

While the study was done in relation to the impact of globalization on workers welfare, the findings are relevant to the current situation.

According to the case study, the likelihood of displaced workers finding any kind of wage employment is dismally low while the chances of landing a regular full-time employment similar to what they have lost is nil to zero.

“Less than a third (32 %) of the workers found a wage job at anytime in the next five years after layoff. When the survey was taken in mid-2008, a mere 16% of the displaced workers were holding on to a wage job. Five years after losing their jobs, over 60% of the workers were still unemployed or have exited from the labor force,” explained Pascual.

Pascual added that an overwhelming majority of those who found a new wage job after displacement took up temporary, non-regular jobs that paid lower wages. Non-regular jobs were also marked by unemployment spells in between contracts or jobs. The unemployment and earnings losses suffered by displaced workers did not improve over time.

The study also finds that job loss can have dire consequences on the worker’s health and well-being as well as that of the worker’s family. Being laid off from work raises the risk of the worker’s family falling into poverty. The loss of a major source of income for the family is compounded by equally serious problems.

Displaced workers are also vulnerable to illnesses of varying seriousness, from frequent headaches to hypertension or strokes (cerebro vascular accident). In more than a few cases, these illnesses lead to workers’ death. With the loss of work-related health insurance, laid off workers cannot afford the high cost of drugs and health care. Loss of health insurance can also impact on young children.

Interviews with displaced workers reveal that a consequence of job loss than can have long term repercussions on the worker’s family is the risk of children taken out of school. Surprisingly, production workers despite minimum level wages were able to send children to college, relying on loans from employers, friends and informal lenders. Their regular job was their biggest asset, a gold-standard collateral in the eyes of creditors. The loss of a regular job means loss of access to credit, which could mean children dropping out of school or the inability to meet costly contingencies.

The study finds low re-employment rates and significant earnings losses and which persists over the medium-term as a significant cost of job loss. It traces these to the surrounding economic conditions, namely, the decline of the garments industry, high youth unemployment, and the proliferation of temporary and contractual employment. To improve re-employment possibilities, it calls for a strategic focus on generating adequate productive employment, including public employment programs.

While there were more self-employed workers than wage workers among the displaced workers in the survey, self-employment was more often than not considered as employment of last resort by the workers. Self-employment is marked by low and irregular earnings and lack of long-term sustainability. Moreover, the study covered the period 2004-2008, a period of respectable economic growth. Promoting self-employment and micro entrepreneurship in the context of a growing economy may have some merit, but not during a slow down or recession.

To avoid the more drastic consequences of job loss, the study recommends expansion of new and existing social protection schemes to cover workers laid off in the current crisis. This may include, according to the author, free extension of PhilHealth membership for displaced for a period of five (5) years after layoff.

The government may also consider giving out scholarships or education loans for displaced workers with children in tertiary level. Yet another option is automatic inclusion in the government’s conditional cast transfer program for displaced workers with children in primary and secondary levels. The government and the Social Security System may also need to explore some form of income support for workers laid off by the global crisis.

In the same forum, the Partido ng Manggagawa presented its campaign for a bailout package for workers and the poor which consist of (1) direct subsidy for displaced workers from the SSS, GSIS and OWWA; (2) Tax refund for workers; (2) Reforms on public employment program; (3) Extension of health coverage for displaced workers, and (5) Moratorium on demolitions and evictions.

Study: Industry Churning, the Labor Market and Workers’ Welfare

(Angelo King Institute, De La Salle University)

Main Findings

1. Low re-employment rates: Only 32% of laid off workers found a wage job at anytime in the five years following layoff. For those who did, it took an average 12 months to land a new job. At the time of survey, or five years after layoff, only 16%were holding on to a wage job. Workers cite “age limit” as the most important reason for their difficulty in finding a new job.

2. Temporary or contractual work: Most of the jobs found were contractual or piece-rate work. The exception was government jobs but these were few and far between. The temporary and non-standard nature of employment available to displaced workers partly explains the low employment rate of displaced workers five years after layoff. They found it increasingly difficult to hold on to temporary or contractual jobs.

3. Significant and persistent earnings loss: Even for those who found jobs, wage or earnings losses were significant and did not diminish over time. A major reason for this huge wage loss can be traced to the fact that contractual work pays less than standard, regular work regardless of the worker’s extra effort.

4. Self-employment and entrepreneurship: At survey date, 22% of workers engaged in self-employment, slightly higher than the proportion employed in formal wage jobs. Does self-employment and entrepreneurship then offer a way out for displaced workers? Our discussion with affected workers does not give us this impression. Self-employment is generally seen as employment of last resort, marked by irregular earnings and uncertainty of business. Long-term sustainability is a key issue for micro businesses.

5. Early exit from the labor force: Five years after they were laid off, the majority (61%) of workers faced open unemployment or early exit from the labor force. This is significant considering that most of the workers in our sample were women only in their late 30s or early 40s at the time of layoff, half of whom were married, had young and old dependents, and in many cases, were the main breadwinners in their families.

6. Heightened economic insecurity: irregular work hours and earnings, dependence on other family members, anxiety due to economic insecurity resulting in stress, deterioration in relationship with spouse and family members, and inability to secure the future of the family.

7. Loss of social protection: drastic decline in health status of workers, resulting in deaths in a few cases, loss of health care for young children, loss of access to credit resulting in children taken out of school, vulnerability to economic contingencies.

8. Policy recommendations:

a. Free extension of PhilHealth membership for 5 years after layoff
b. Education loans for workers with children in tertiary level or inclusion in CCT for those with children in primary and secondary levels;
c. Some form of income support from the social security system may need to be explored;
d. Promoting entrepreneurship in the context of a growing economy may have some merit, but not during a slow down or recession;
e. Strategic focus on generating adequate productive employment to improve re-employment possibilities; public employment programs may be necessary in the short-term.

Cebu workers call for jobs summit, push for bailout for labor

Press Statement
January 22, 2009

In reaction to the statement by the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF) on massive job losses, the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) called for a tripartite summit in Cebu to resolve the employment crisis. “In the jobs summit, labor will push for a bailout package for workers. The workers are not responsible for this global crisis and thus they should be made to bear the burden of the economic slowdown,” said PM-Cebu spokesperson Dennis Derige.

Meanwhile the labor dispute at the Giardini del Sole, one of the biggest furniture exporting firms in the country, escalated today with the union’s definitive filing of a notice of strike this morning at the NCMB Region VII office. The union will then hold a strike vote tomorrow in compliance with the 24 hour period required by law.

The workers of Giardini del Sole are questioning the timing of the CFIF declaration. Primitivo Ginoo, Jr. president of the Nagkahiusang Puwersa nga Mamumuo sa Giardini (NPMG) averred that “The furniture industry was curiously silent about the hemorrhage of jobs when we got into a debate with the Labor Department about the number of retrenched and rotated workers a few weeks ago. But now that we are on the threshold of a strike because of management’s intransigence in implementing the agreement to rotate work among as many workers as possible, they come to the rescue of Giardini’s owner by intimidating and threatening workers with the specter of massive joblessness.”

“We might believe in the good intentions of the CFIF if they censure Mr. Bosch since he did not follow their group’s proposal for owners to communicate with their workers about the real state of the company. Mr. Bosch surprised Giardini’s workers with a temporary shutdown last January 5 without due notice and then he is engaging in delaying tactics during meetings of the joint evaluation team for job rotation,” asserted Eulito Fin, Jr., vice president of NPMG.

The protest at the factory gates of Giardini del Sole continues as talks have broken down over management’s refusal to implement the work rotation scheme agreed upon two weeks ago at the NCMB. “The looming strike at Giardini is the herald of the labor unrest that will ensue from the loss of jobs and pay by workers. Government must heed the call for a bailout and stimulus for workers not capitalists,” insisted Derige.

The bailout package for workers being pushed by the PM includes a subsidy for displaced workers, tax refund for workers as an economic stimulus, and a reformed and expanded state employment program for the millions of unemployed Filipinos. “No retreat on labor standards, no surrender on workers rights,” declared Ginoo in reference to a possible call by management and government during a jobs summit for workers to sacrifice in the midst of the crisis.

Cavite workers picket Export Zone Authority despite ban on rallies

Press Release
December 16, 2008

A hundred displaced workers of a closed factory in the export processing zone in Rosario, Cavite picketed the offices of the Philippine Export Processing Zone Authority (PEZA) administrator around 2 p.m. today despite a ban on protest actions inside the compound. The workers were demanding that their union be consulted on the disbursement by the PEZA of PhP 1.69 million in money claims.

A momentary scuffle occured when PEZA guards unsuccessfully tried taking away the workers placards. However the workers were able to maintain the picket inside the PEZA compound while another group protested outside the gates. After a dialogue with the PEZA administrator, the union got its demand to be consulted.

The amount was the proceeds from the sale of the assets of the Sapphire Phils. garments factory that unceremoniously shutdown last January 15, 2007. According to Marites Manjares, union president of Sapphire Phils., “There were 300 workers when our factory closed down. But the PEZA masterlist ballooned to more than double with 640 names. This is new case of dagdag-bawas (addition-subtraction). The added names will result in lesser claims to be received by legitimate worker beneficiaries.”

“When the Korean owner of Sapphire Phils. suddenly left the country, the factory shutdown without the required 30 days notice and without giving any separation pay to the workers. Thus we filed a case at the Department of Labor for illegal closure and money claims. Now that the PEZA has sold the assets of the company, we want them to talk and coordinate with the union so that legitimate beneficiaries receive what is due them,” insisted Manjares.

The Rosario Workers Association and the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) supported the picket of the Sapphire Phils. workers. Dennis Sequenia, chairperson of PM-Cavite declared, “In Chicago, USA workers occupied the Republic Windows and Doors when the factory closed without the necessary notice and without the required separation pay. They got their demands after six days of occupying the plant and winning even the support of President-elect Barack Obama. The Sapphire Phils. case is no different though the workers are not asking for the support of President Gloria Arroyo but simply that they not be prohibited from holding their protest action.”

“Labor discontent is simmering at the export zone as the global crisis impacts thousands of workers with layoffs and rotations, reduced hours and reduced pay. Today it is a picket at the PEZA office. Tomorrow it may be an occupation of a factory inside PEZA,” warned Sequenia.

Solidarity with Republic workers, UE Local 1110

December 12, 2008

Armando Robles, UE Local 1110 President
and the Workers of Republic Windows and Doors

Greetings of solidarity!

On behalf of the working class of the Philippines, the Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor Party-Philippines) expresses its support for the struggle of the Republic workers and extends its congratulations to your victorious fight. Your militant struggle is a shining example to the workers of the world of how to fight and how to win in the period of globalization and in the context of the crisis.

The particular case of Republic Windows and Doors reveals in stark contrasts the gross inequities and double standard of the system. The workers are being made to bear the burden of resolving the crisis that is not of their own making. The innocent masses are being punished for the crimes of a few. Corporate losses are socialized but profits remain privatized.

Truly the workers can only depend upon our own movement and our own struggle to protect and advance our common interests. You have rediscovered for a new generation of US workers the value of the sit down strike and direct action that in the 1930’s resulted in the greatest gains in unionization, wages and job security in American history. Your successful fight is an inspiration not just for fellow workers in the US but for all workers anywhere in the world.

In the Philippines, the initial impact of the global economic crisis is already being felt in the export-oriented factories whose clients are in the US, Japan and Europe. Permanent closures, temporary shutdowns and work rotation have in the last four months affected thousands of garments, electronics and furniture workers. These retrenchments and rotations are the herald of the grave unemployment that will result when the global recession reaches maturity and fully impacts the Philippines.

Thus the workers in the Philippines, through the Partido ng Manggagawa, are campaigning for economic relief in the face of the economic calamity in the form of a bailout of the poor not the rich. This means a subsidy for laid off workers until they can find new jobs, a tax refund for all workers amounting to two months pay and a public employment program for the four million unemployed Filipinos. Beyond these immediate issues, we are also pushing longer term demands, among them is reopening closed factories through confiscation if necessary.

Workers in the Philippines and in America are brothers and sisters in struggle. Ironically this is partly due to the legacy of US occupation of the Philippines. Likewise, Filipinos and Latinos share a cultural heritage rooted in Spanish colonialism. But more than that, under globalization, all workers now have the same problems—low wages, insecure jobs, part-time work, loss of benefits, deteriorating services, labor repression, vanishing health and pension plans, etc.

Workers are being forced by the capitalists to compete with workers in other countries in a race to the bottom in wages and working conditions. Instead the workers of the world must link up in arms in solidarity to lift ourselves out of poverty and destitution.

The story of the fight and victory of the Republic workers has not broken through the corporate controlled mainstream media in the Philippines. But through the labor press and mass meetings, we will report your successful fight to the workers in the Philippines for they have lessons to learn from it. And when the workers of the Philippines recapture the tradition of our militant unionism of the 1980’s, then we can share the lessons of our own experiences too to the workers of the US and the world.

For labor solidarity,

Renato Magtubo
Chairperson, Partido ng Manggagawa
President, Fortune Tobacco Labor Union

Gerry Rivera
Vice-Chairperson, Partido ng Manggagawa
President, Philippine Airlines Employees Association

University union in labor dispute decry military harassment

Press Release
December 2, 2008

Just days before the commemoration of human rights day, the faculty and staff union of the Wesleyan University in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija denounced today in a press conference the interference and harassment by the military in their labor dispute. “We appeal to the government and the AFP to stop the use of military personnel in the harassment of workers involved in a labor dispute. Labor rights are human rights. This violation of labor rights becomes more glaring with the coming observance of human rights day,” declared Corazon Gonzales, the union president.

According to the Wesleyan University-Philippines Faculty and Staff Association (WUPFSA-LAGMAN), a certain Sgt. Edgar Dimalanta of the Civil Affairs Office of the 71st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army has been issuing veiled threats, and pressuring union officers and even some union members to sit down with him for a meeting. In a recent incident last November 25, Sgt. Dimalanta told Engr. Melquiades Guevarra, the union vice-president, that military men will visit them in their homes after the latter refused the former’s invitation to meet the union executive committee. “The circumstances clearly show that Sgt. Dimalanta is being used by the university administration headed by Atty. Guillermo T. Maglaya in his effort to bust the union and sabotage negotiations for a CBA,” Gonzales added.

After the press conference, the union officers of WUPFSA-LAGMAN trooped to the office of the Commission on Human Rights. Gonzales stated that “The union officers fear for our lives because of the blatant interference and intimidation by the military.” The union has also sent letters to the offices of the President of the Philippines, Chief Justice and Labor Secretary among others. They are also appealing for solidarity from the labor movement and human rights advocates. Officers of the labor federation LAGMAN to which the union is affiliated and the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) expressed their support for the workers.

The harassment started with a “peace and development seminar” that was called by the administration for its employees last October 29. In the seminar, Sgt. Dimalanta, shrewdly threatened the union by saying that they can suffer the same bloody fate as the Hacienda Luisita workers if they insisted on the union president sitting in the CBA negotiations and that the military has received reports the union is infiltrated by communist guerillas.

In the past three years the union has charged the administration with unfair labor practices and violations of the collective bargaining agreement. On two occasions the Department of Labor and Employment has handed down decisions in favor of the union, finding the management guilty of union busting and ordering the reinstatement of the union president who was illegally dismissed. The administration of Wesleyan University, which is owned by the United Methodist Church, has refused to implement the orders and has rejected negotiations for a CBA on the alibi that the union president has been dismissed.

Workers demand for SONA: Abolish VAT on oil and power; fund social welfare from debt payments

Press Release
July 28, 2008

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) led workers and poor in protest actions for today’s SONA in rejecting the “social welfare program” that will be funded through VAT collections, and calling for a policy shift embodied in a “social reform agenda” to fix the economic crisis.

“The social welfare program is not a safety net for the poor but a lifeline for an illegitimate regime. The people may be poor but they are smart enough to see through GMA’s lies and schemes. Despite billions in dole-outs to some of the most destitute, a plurality of the people does not trust GMA and disapprove of her performance as revealed in the latest Pulse Asia survey,” stated Renato Magtubo, chairperson of PM.

As a first salvo in today’s SONA protests, members of PM and the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) trooped to the NFA warehouse along Visayas Ave. around 7:00 a.m. to highlight its call for “cheap rice for all” and its theme of a “Sonang walang bigas.”

According to Jess Panis, spokesperson of AMP, “The so-called gains from VAT are a deadly poison. VAT collections from oil, not yet including power, will reach more than P18 billion this year yet the dole-outs will not amount to half of it. Most of the worker and poor will not benefit from the misnamed gains of VAT though it was sourced from the blood and sweat of the people since it is a regressive consumption tax.”

Around noon, the PM and AMP mobilization joined the program of the Mamamayan Laban sa Pagtaas ng Presyo ng Langis at Pagkain at Toyota Commonwealth. Then by 3:00 p.m. bishops graced the Mamamayan Laban sa Pagtaas ng Presyo ng Langis at Pagkain activity to launch the 3:00 o’clock protest habit at St. Peter’s Church.

Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of PM, meanwhile averred that “The crisis brought about by high prices of food, oil and electricity is a national calamity. While economic relief is necessary for any national calamity, it has to be accompanied by a lasting solution to the economic crisis and is has to be funded by a reallocation of the national budget. A long-term solution must involve a reversal of the present policies as part of a thoroughgoing social reform agenda.”

PM is pushing for the abolition, not just suspension, of the VAT on oil and power, and for the budget for cheap rice, socialized housing, subsidy on basic goods, agrarian reform and other social services to be allocated from the presidential social fund, mandatory savings and debt servicing payments that are worth hundred of billions.

The group believes that liberalization, deregulation and privatization are the root of the inflation in prices. Therefore fixing the economic crisis will start with a reversal of liberalization, deregulation, privatization, cheap labor, labor contractualization and other pro-globalization policies. “This policy shift can only be implemented a new government with the iron will for reform and the firm support of the people,” stressed Magtubo. ###