Cabinet resignation is not a bold reset but just a marketing gimmick if not matched with policy shift

Rappler photo

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) criticized President Bong Bong Marcos Jr.’s call for the resignation of his entire cabinet as just a marketing gimmick and not a bold reset since it is not complemented by a policy shift that addresses hunger and poverty. President Marcos Jr. announced the cabinet revamp yesterday as his response to the loss of the administration senatorial slate and falling popularity ratings.

 

“The welfare of workers and the poor will not improve if there are new faces in the cabinet who implement the same policies of cheap wages, endo jobs and gutting of public services. Instead, labor groups want to see PBBM declare a bold reset in policies: certify the P200 wage hike as a priority legislation, support the security of tenure bill and return the Philhealth funds so it can scale up its services to members,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and re-elected Marikina councilor.

 

PM dared the administration to heed these concrete demands as an effective response to the discontent of voters as revealed in the recent polls and surveys. “PBBM also needs to shape up, not just his cabinet secretaries. It's not only the performance of the cabinet secretaries that should be reviewed and evaluated, but also PBBM's policies and programs that fail to address the serious problems of corruption, poverty, low wages, high prices of goods, and inadequate public services in health and education,” Magtubo explained.

 

To recall, last Labor Day, PBBM rejected the call for a legislated wage hike and instead asked the regional wage bords to respond to the demand for salary adjustments. Yesterday, the NCR wage board called for a consultation with labor groups. The group Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa attended the consultation but called on the NCR wage board to defer to Congress so that the latter can address the wage demand through legislation.

 

Magtubo added that “Cabinet members serve at the pleasure of the president and are thus his alter egos. Therefore, if the policies and programs fail to address the worsening problems, the primary responsibility lies with the president—not just his alter egos.”

 

Kapatiran is calling for a P200 national wage hike to recover the P126 erosion of wages due to inflation and P74 as share in the rise in labor productivity. PM is supporting Kapatiran’s demand for a legislated P200 salary increase. 

Labor party wants national debate on policies rather than costly pol ads dominate election fever

PRESS RELEASE
November 30, 2009

A national debate on policy matters is what could make this coming national and local elections more interesting and relevant than the usual play of expensive political ads dominating the national scene prior to the 2010 elections.

This was according to the labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), which today commemorated Bonifacio Day with marches and rallies calling for the reversal of anti-labor and anti-poor economic policies. The workers’ demonstrations in many parts of the country were also held on the eve of the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacies for national and local candidates.

PM chair Renato Magtubo, said that with the persistence and the deepening of the global economic crisis coupled with the rise of environmental problems, the need for new ideas and the review or throwing away of the usual solutions to age-old problems are the most relevant matters that the people would desire during the election season and beyond.

“Let this coming elections become a national debate. Those who favour the preservation of liberalization, deregulation and privatization program should come ready to defend these against those who advocate for the reversal of those policies. In this kind of a scenario candidates from the opposing camps may win or lose after the elections, but the voters win by gaining higher political consciousness,” said Magtubo.

The labor leader argued that the cinematic play of political ads may boost the image of a politician but if this remains personality-oriented, this will blunt the content of the whole electoral exercise.

Zapote-Mendiola march

PM led a contingent of some 600 workers and urban poor who marched from Zapote in Las Pinas all the way to the historic Mendiola Bridge. The marchers made a short stop over at the Baclaran Church to meet with other contingents from the southern, eastern and northern part of Metro Manila. They also held a short program and candle-lighting at the Department of Justice building to demand justice for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

The PM contingent later merged with other labor groups under the KONTRA WTO at the Mehan Garden in a march towards Mendiola. The labor groups are calling for the reversal of liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies.

“These policies led to the country’s chronic state of underdevelopment, promoted the contractualization and casualization of labor, and created a huge army of unemployed, informal and impoverished people," concludes Magtubo.

PM has also been calling for a bailout package for the workers and the poor in the midst of the global economic crisis and a new housing program that addresses the urgent need for decent shelter of millions of homeless Filipinos.

Workers urge Senate to act on bailout resolution

Press Release
May 16, 2009

The militant Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) urged the Senate to start hearings on proposed resolutions for a bailout of the working class before Congress ends its session on June 3. Three separate resolutions have been filed in the last several weeks pushing for a set of pro-labor demands. Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson, said that “A Senate resolution calling for a bailout of the workers is a belated but welcome gift. No matter that it is after May 1 as long as it is before June 3.”

The three resolutions were filed separately by Sen. Manny Villar, Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Though slightly different, the resolutions are similar since they were all based on a proposal drafted by PM in consultation with other labor groups.

Magtubo revealed that representatives of labor groups are planning to lobby the Senate in the coming days to urge action on the proposals. The effort for a Senate resolution on a “workers bailout” is part of a campaign for immediate and medium-term response to the impact of the global economic crisis.

“A Senate resolution for a workers bailout is an urgent necessity despite the media spin being peddled by government about an economic recovery. The SWS survey about an unemployment rate of 34% has already exposed government’s lie about a mere 7.7% jobless figure. We challenge government to name names and identify the firms that have rehired their displaced workers for we know of no factory at the export zones that have taken back even a substantial portion of their retrenched employees,” explained Magtubo.

Senate Resolution No. 1064 was filed by Sen. Estrada last May 15. Meanwhile Senate Resolution No. 1029 was filed April 28 by Sen. Escudero. And Senate Resolution 919 was filed by Sen. Villar on March 3 and referred to the Labor Committee headed by Sen. Estrada.

The labor groups are also courting the support of the Catholic hierarchy with Archbishop Cardinal Rosales already committed to the workers bailout and a Church-backed Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Magsasaka at Maralita (AM3) launched last May 1.
The immediate demands being pushed by labor groups includes an unemployment subsidy, universal health care, tax refund, reform of the public employment program and a moratorium on demolitions and foreclosures. The middle-term reforms call for reversal of policies such as liberalization, deregulation and privatization.

Labor Party calls for policy and social change not charter change; Labor unity, Church support marks May 1 commemoration

Press Release
May 1, 2009

The militant Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) led more than 1,000 workers and poor, many of them displaced employees, in a Labor Day mobilization that called for policy and social change instead of charter change. “Workers want a reversal in the policies that have aggravated the crisis and change in the rotten system that keeps the people in poverty. We oppose the proposed charter change which has the not-so-hidden agenda of perpetuating the regime in power,” explained Renato Magtubo, chairperson of PM.

The May Day activities started yesterday with a Lakbayan launched by PM that held a dialogue first with HUDCC officials on the demand for moratorium on demolitions and later with Labor Secretary Roque on the call for a workers bailout. The Lakbayan participants spent the night at the Malate Church.

Together with the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC), a “Misa para sa Manggagawa” was held this morning that was officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani. The Lakbayan ended by merging with the Labor Unity rally at Liwasang Bonifacio at 11 a.m that later proceeded to Mendiola. “Labor unity and Church support marks this year’s celebration of May Day in recognition of the fact that we need a strong movement to respond to the attempt of capitalists to make the workers pay for the crisis,” Magtubo asserted.

PM called the job fairs organized by government as a “bandaid solution.” Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general, argued that “Job mismatch is not the problem and job fairs are not the solution. The real cause of unemployment is economy mismatch, meaning the government implemented the failed model of globalization on the economy which has resulted in the collapse of local industry and agriculture.” She added that “The solution to economy mismatch is reorientation away from export promotion and overseas employment towards strengthening the domestic economy by building up local industry and agriculture that will provide decent work to millions of Filipinos.”

The group also declared that wage increases cannot be set aside even as workers prioritize the problem of employment. Miranda stated that “This proposal is another illustration of the vicious attempt by capitalists to exploit the crisis. At the root of the global recession is the problem of global underconsumption. There is a lack of demand for the commodities produced worldwide due to two decades of a global race to the bottom in wages and working conditions. Thus shortchanging the workers in the midst of the crisis will aggravate instead of mitigate the effects of the global recession.”

The Lakbayan is just part of the nationwide commemoration sponsored by PM. Marches, caravans and fora marked the Labor Day activities of PM in Cebu City, Bacolod City, Iloilo city, Davao City, General Santos City, Iligan City and Dipolog City.

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.

Workers’ “Lakbayan” shows support to Lozada, calls for social change to counter cha-cha

PRESS RELEASE
30 April 2009

Labor Day actions begin rolling today with the “Lakbayan para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago” spearheaded by the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) started a daybreak march from Bacoor Cavite.

PM chair Renato Magtubo said his group’s Lakbayan brings the call for labor protection and social justice and is part of their direct actions in countering the GMA administration’s move to change the constitution.

“What we demand is a complete reversal of liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies, NOT a run for Charter-Change to perpetuate Gloria Arroyo in power and create a system of power unlimited,” said Magtubo in a statement sent to media.

He added that it is not Jun Lozada but Gloria and those who let this country down by promoting these policies, the politicians and scammers who robbed the nation’s coffer and the capitalists who use the crisis to further abuse workers, who deserve a jail term.

PM is also coordinating with other labor groups in preparing for a joint march to Mendiola tomorrow. The labor leader said several labor, urban poor and peasant groups have agreed to have a common action on Labor Day for the defense of workers’ jobs and the poor’s right to decent living. He added that a Church Labor Conference was also formed early this week that paved the way for a closer cooperation between organized labor and the church on the campaign for labor protection.

Spearheading the Lakbayan (south contingent) are at least 1,000 displaced workers and urban poor from Cavite, Las Pinas and Paranaque. The north contingent from Rizal, Bulacan and Caloocan is marching from Edsa-Crossing down to Makati. The Lakbayan will first proceed to the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council (HUDCC) to bring the call for moratorium on demolitions and evictions to housing officials. After a dialogue with HUDCC, the Lakbayan will pass by the MPD headquarters to show support to whistle –blower Jun Lozada, before proceeding to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Mass for workers

From DOLE, the Lakbayan participants will stay overnight at the Malate Church. Together with the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC), a “Misa para sa Manggagawa” will be held in the morning of May 1st, to be officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani.

After the mass, the Lakbayan will proceed to Liwasang Bonifacio to merge with other groups under a loose alliance called Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Magsasaka at Maralita para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago, or AM3 in short More than 10,000 workers, urban poor and peasants are expected to participate in this unified action.

Other regions

Simultaneous actions will also be held in other regions. In Cebu, displaced employees and MEPZ workers to join 1,000 union members in the PM and the Solidarity of Cebu Workers-sponsored rally to be held at Plaza Independencia. They will also hold rally in front of DOLE-Cebu where they will burn a copy of the Labor Code in protest of the inability of Labor officials to protect workers in the region. After the rally at DOLE, the protesters will march to downtown Colon to merge with the Cebu Labor Coalition for Labor Unity for a rally against the economic crisis.

In Negros, some 1,000 industrial and farm workers from Bacolod City and the 3rd, 4th and 5th districts of Negros Occidental will hold a march-rally at the Fountain of Justice. Meanwhile, a caravan of a hundred vehicles will tour around Iloilo City before joining a mobilization by hundreds of workers and poor at the Plaza Letagay

In Davao City, some 200 PM members will hold a forum then march by 5 p.m. along Reyes, San Pedro and Magallanes Sts. Another forum on economic crisis will be held in General Santos and Dipolog City.

In Iligan, PM and Sanlakas will join the Federation of Democratic Labor Organizations (FDLO) in a march from the St. Michael's Cathedral to the Iligan City Freedom Park. This will be joined by other multisectoral groups as well under the May Day 2009 Committee of the Civil Society Organizations Forum for Peace (CSO-FP).

Lakbayan para sa Araw ng Manggagawa magsisimula bukas

Press Release
April 29, 2009

Manggagawa nanawagan na ikulong mga kapitalistang abusado kaysa si Jun Lozada

Magsisimula bukas ang paggunita sa Araw ng Manggagawa sa pamamagitan ng isang Lakbayan ng mga manggagawang natanggal sa trabaho at mga maralitang tagalungsod. Ang panawagan ng mga kalahok sa Lakbayan ay “Proteksyon sa manggagawa at maralita, Pagbabago sa ekonomiya at lipunan.”

“Sa halip na si Jun Lozada, mga kapitalistang abusado ang dapat ikulong. Sinasamantala ng maraming kapitalista ang krisis para ibagsak ang proteksyon sa paggawa at wasakin ang mga karapatan ng manggagawa. Hindi papayag ang mga manggagawa na pasanin ang bigat ng krisis na likha ng mga kapitalista,” ani Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

Mga 1,000 manggagawa at maralita mula sa Calabarzon ang magkikita ng 6:30 n.u. sa Zapote sa boundary ng Las Pinas at Bacoor bilang pagsisimula ng Lakbayan. Magtatagpo sila ng mga lalahok sa Lakbayan mula sa NCR at Bulacan bandang tanghali sa opisina ng HUDCC upang makipag-dialogue sa kahilingang sa moratorium sa demolisyon. Mula doon ay magmamartsa sila tungong opisina ng DOLE para sa dialogue kay Sec. Marianito Roque hinggil sa panawagang ayuda sa mga manggagawa.

“Ang kahilingan para sa proteksyon sa manggagawa at maralita ay unang hakbang lang sa pagtugon sa krisis. Ang susunod na hakbang ay pagbaliktad sa mga patakaran na nagpalala sa krisis. Ito ay ang liberalisasyon, deregulasyon at pribatisasyon na dahilan ng pagguho ng industriya at agrikultura, at pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin,” dagdag ni Magtubo.

Magdadala ang mga kalahok sa Lakbayan ng mga payong na may nakasulat na “Proteksyon laban sa bagyong pang-ekonomiya.” Nakasulat din ang iba’t ibang konkretong kahilingan tulad ng unemployment insurance, tax refund, universal health care, reporma sa employment program at moratorium sa demolisyon. Bukod sa PM, sasama sa Lakbayan ang grupong Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino, Zone One Tondo Organization, Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite, United Cavite Workers Association at Samahan ng Mamamayan ng Calabarzon.

Tinawag ng PM na “bandaid solution” ang planong job fair ng gobyerno sa May 1. “Hindi job mismatch ang problema at hindi job fair ang solusyon sa kawalang-trabaho. Ang ugat ng unemployment sa bansa ay economy mismatch o ang maling patakarang pang-ekonomiya na idinikta ng IMF-WB at WTO sa Pilipinas. Bunga ng globalisasyon, nawasak ang lokal na ekonomiya kaya’t walang disenteng trabaho para sa milyun-milyong Pilipino kasama na ang mga kabataang bagong graduate,” paliwanag ni Magtubo.

Policy-change not charter-change highlights militants’ call in their Labor Day actions

PRESS RELEASE
29 April 2009

Tomorrow’s “Lakbayan para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago” spearheaded by the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) would serve as kick-off in a series of Labor Day actions to be held in Metro Manila and other major cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

This was announced by PM chair Renato Magtubo who is coordinating with other labor groups in the preparation for a joint march to Mendiola on Labor Day. Magtubo said several labor, urban poor and peasant groups have agreed to have a common action on Labor Day for the defense of workers’ jobs and the poor’s right to decent living. He added that a Church Labor Conference was also formed the other day which paved the way for a closer cooperation between organized labor and the church on the campaign for labor protection.

“What we demand is a complete reversal of liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies, NOT a run for Charter-Change to perpetuate Gloria Arroyo in power and create a system of power unlimited,” said Magtubo in a statement sent to media.

Lakbayan

By daybreak tomorrow, displaced workers and urban poor from Cavite and Laguna will be joined by other workers and poor from Bulacan and the NCR in a Lakbayan that will start from Bacoor Cavite. The Lakbayan will first proceed to the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council (HUDCC) to bring the call for moratorium on demolitions and evictions to housing officials, and then to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for a dialogue.

From DOLE, the more than 1,000 Lakbayan participants will stay overnight at Malate Church. Together with the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC), a “Misa para sa Manggagawa” will be held in the morning of May 1st, to be officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani.

After the mass, the Lakbayan will proceed to Liwasang Bonifacio to merge with other groups under a loose alliance called Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Magsasaka at Maralita para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago. Some 10,000 workers, urban poor and peasants are expected to participate in this unified action.

Other regions

Simultaneous actions will also be held in other regions. In Cebu, displaced employees and MEPZ workers to join 1,000 union members in the PM and the Solidarity of Cebu Workers-sponsored rally to be held at Plaza Independencia. They will also hold rally in front of DOLE-Cebu where they will burn a copy of the Labor Code in protest of the inability of Labor officials to protect workers in the region. After the rally at DOLE, the protesters will march to downtown Colon to merge with the Cebu Labor Coalition for Labor Unity for a rally against the economic crisis.

In Negros, some 1,000 industrial and farm workers from Bacolod City and the 3rd, 4th and 5th districts of Negros Occidental will hold a march-rally at the Fountain of Justice. Meanwhile, a caravan of a hundred vehicles will tour around Iloilo City before joining a mobilization by hundreds of workers and poor at the Plaza Letagay

In Davao City, some 200 PM members will hold a forum then march by 5 p.m. along Reyes, San Pedro and Magallanes Sts. Another forum on economic crisis will be held in General Santos and Dipolog City.

In Iligan, PM and Sanlakas will join the Federation of Democratic Labor Organizations (FDLO) in a march from the St. Michael's Cathedral to the Iligan City Freedom Park. This will be joined by other multisectoral groups as well under the May Day 2009 Committee of the Civil Society Organizations Forum for Peace (CSO-FP).

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

Workers picket MBC to protest commission in lieu of wage hike proposal

Press Release
April 24, 2009

Members of the militant Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) picketed the office of the Makati Business Club to protest the proposal that workers be given commissions instead of wage increases. “This is wholesale theft of the labor of the working class that is little different but much worse than the syndicated estafa perpetrated by Legacy on its middle class planholders,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.

Some 50 PM members partook of a lunch of rice and tuyo to symbolize the dire plight of the workers during the crisis. They also brought mock pills and capsules with the message “a workers bailout keeps the crisis away.”

Miranda insisted that “The MBC proposal is another example of the attempt by capitalists to exploit the crisis in order to lower labor standards and demolish workers’ rights. Workers will not pay for the crisis sparked by the capitalists. At the root of the global recession is the problem of global underconsumption. There is a lack of demand for the commodities produced worldwide due to two decades of a global race to the bottom in wages and working conditions. Thus shortchanging the workers in the midst of the crisis will aggravate instead of mitigate the effects of the global recession.”

PM announced that the coming Labor Day mobilization will be “one big protest against capitalist schemes and scams against the workers.” The labor party will lead more than a thousand displaced workers and urban poor in a Lakbayan that will start on the eve of May 1 then merge the next day with the Labor Day rally by various groups.

For Labor Day, PM is pushing for a “bailout of the workers and the poor” that includes unemployment subsidy, tax refund, reform and expansion of public employment program, health insurance for the displaced, and moratorium on demolitions. The group is also demanding a reversal of the policies of liberalization, deregulation and privatization.

“The capitalists reject a wage hike because it is a one-size-fits-all formula that favors workers yet a commission is no different though it benefits employers and disadvantages employees. If capitalists are willing to experiment in a win-win solution, we propose a mandatory unionization of all workers and collective bargaining negotiations on the basis of particular conditions of the different industries and enterprises,” explained Miranda.

She asserted that “Through collective bargaining, labor and management can work out the wages and working conditions appropriate to the circumstances of their industries and firms. For example, the electronics industry is collapsing but in dollar-earning sunrise industries like BPO’s and call centers, capitalists can very well afford to give generous wage hikes to their workers via collective bargaining agreements with unions.”

Workers say economic resurrection can occur through policy reversal

Press Release
April 12, 2009

The labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) declared that the economic crisis must be transformed into an opportunity for reconstruction by making policy changes. “An economic resurrection can come about through a policy reversal and paradigm shift in the national development model,” asserted Renato Magtubo, chairperson of PM,

He added that “The policies of liberalization, deregulation and privatization must be stopped. The local economy must be developed by strengthening industry and modernizing agriculture based on agrarian reform. Since the beginning of the global crisis it has been Black Friday for workers. It has been like Calvary for workers who have lost their jobs and have sustained pay cuts due to reduced work days and compressed workweeks.”

As examples of the policy changes, the group cited the repeal of the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act), Oil Deregulation Law and VAT. “Such reversals in policy will rollback the price increases that came about because of privatization and deregulation of basic services. Also tariff protection and quota restrictions must be imposed on foreign goods that compete with locally-produced products and services,” Magtubo explained.

He also mentioned the review and revocation of unequal trade agreements such as the multilateral GATT-WTO and bilateral ones like JPEPA and the proposed EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. “These so-called trade agreements have favored multinational corporations to thee detriment of workers, farmers and local business,” Magtubo insisted.

The labor group also called on workers to challenge the government’s promises of assistance for the displaced. “The unemployment insurance proposal has been talked for weeks already. Workers cannot survive on news stories. It is high time that it be implemented. Workers should claim these benefits and protection through protest and struggle,” argued Magtubo.

For Labor Day, PM is demanding a bailout package for workers. The bailout includes subsidy for displaced workers from the SSS, GSIS and OWWA; tax refund for all wage earners; expansion and reform of the public employment program; extension of health care coverage for displaced workers; and moratorium on demolitions and evictions.

Magtubo clarified that “Bailing out the workers is just the first step. Reversing the policies that brought about the crisis itself is the next. But the ultimate solution is to replace moribund capitalism with a new society whose organizing principle is not prioritizing corporate profit but meeting people’s needs.”

Workers challenge government on assistance package

Press Release
April 5, 2009

Workers of Lear, a factory in the Mactan Export Processing Zone which makes electronic components for cars, challenged the government to make good on its promises about alternatives to layoffs and assistance to the displaced. Lear again terminated some 400 workers last Friday and the workers believe a next batch of layoffs is in the works.

“Only last week President Gloria Arroyo herself was saying that electronics firms should not retrench workers and instead pay half of their wages while undergoing training. Workers cannot survive on press releases. We dare the government to implement its promises not issue statements,” argued Renato Magtubo, chairperson of Partido ng Manggagawa.

In response to the impact of the crisis, Lear announced to its workers that it is consolidating by shutting down two of its plants and maintaining just one. Among the 400 who were terminated last Friday were workers who availed of a retirement offer but others were simply retrenched without the required 30 days notice.

“Whether they availed of the retirement offer or were retrenched outright, the displaced workers received only a separation pay of 13 days per year of service. So we are asking Trade Secretary Peter Favila, where are other benefits on top of the separation pay that you were boasting last week,” Magtubo added.

The displaced workers of Cebu are also demanding that the government put into effect the proposal for temporary unemployment insurance. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto is recommending a monthly subsidy of P10,000 for each laid-off worker for six months.

Magtubo explained that “The unemployment insurance proposal has been bandied about in the media for weeks already. It is high time that it be implemented. Since retrenched workers will be receiving a subsidy of P10,000, we demand that electronics workers should not just be paid by their companies half of their wages but also receive from government a subsidy worth the other half.”

PM is reiterating its bailout package for workers in the light of continuous hemorrhage in jobs in export firms. The bailout includes subsidy for displaced workers from the SSS, GSIS and OWWA; tax refund for all wage earners; expansion and reform of the public employment program; extension of health care coverage for displaced workers; and moratorium on demolitions and evictions.

“It has been Black Friday for workers since the onset of the crisis before the Christmas season last year. An economic resurrection can only come about through a policy reversal and paradigm shift in the national development model. The policies of liberalization, deregulation and privatization must be stopped. The local economy must be developed by strengthening industry and modernizing agriculture based on agrarian reform,” insisted Magtubo.