1% dagdag sa SSS premium suspendihin o sagutin ng pamahalaan

Nanawagan ang Partido Manggagawa (PM) sa pamunuan ng Social Security System (SSS) at sa Palasyo ng Malacañang na suspendihin ang pagpapatupad sa 1% na pagtaas sa premium contribution sa harap ng kabiguan ng pamahalaan na tugunan ang kahilingan ng manggagawa para sa P150 na dagdag sahod, gayundin sa resulta ng surbey na nagsasabing 63% ng mga Pilipino ang nakakaramdam ng higit pang paghihirap sa kasulukuyan.

 

“Premyo sa produktibidad, hindi dagdag premium sa SSS ang dapat ipataw sa manggagawa”, sigaw ng mga kasapi ng PM sa ginanap na piket ngayong umaga sa tanggapan ng SSS kasama ng Nagkaisa Labor Coalition.

 

Sa halip na dagdag kita ay pawang kaltas sa sahod umano ang napapala ng manggagawa.

 

Ayon kay Renato Magtubo, Pangulo ng PM, kabawasan sa take-home pay ang 1% dagdag premium sa SSS habang papataas ang implasyon at ang wage orders naman na iniutos ng mga regional wage board ay di pa nangalahating maibalik ang nawalang halaga ng sahod sa nakalipas na taon.

 

Inilahad din ni Magtubo na may halos P90 bilyon, ayon sa COA, na hindi nakokolektang kontribusyon ang SSS sa libu-libong pasaway na employers na di hamak na mas malaki sa inaasahang koleksyon na P51B mula dito sa dagdag premium.

 

“Suspensyon o kaya ay sagutin ng gobyerno ang kontribusyon ng manggagawa sa SSS,” deklarasyon ni Magtubo.

 

Nagpoprotesta ang mga grupo dahil habang ang layunin anila ng SSS ay pahabain ang lifespan ng pondo nito sa pamamagitan ng dadag sa premium, ang nababawasan naman ay ang hindi tumataas na sweldo ng manggagawa habang ang mga benepisyo, katulad ng sa Philhealth, ay nananatiling minimal. 

PRESS RELEASE

14 January 2025

Women workers welcome EML's passage in the House

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) welcomes the passage of HB 4113 or the Expanded Maternity bill that entitles working women to a 100-day paid maternity leave.

The House version is 20 days shorter than the 120-day provision passed by the Senate last year. Thus women groups are still hopeful that the small gap can still be worked out in the bicameral conference committee.

"We commend the sponsors of the bill for the hard work spent in ensuring that this bill reaches this stage. And of course to the chairperson of the women committee, Rep. Bernadette Herrera (PL BH), for steering this measure into its final enactment," said PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

Miranda said the HOR version is just above the 98-day maternity leave recommended by the International Labor Organization (ILO) but far lower than the levels in ASEAN.

She added that "We know it can still be worked out in the bicam level. The longer the maternity leave, the better for mothers, their children, and their family members.”

Miranda noted that LPGMA partylist Rep. Arnel Ty tried to derail the passage of the EML during the debates by taking the position of employers who are all opposed to the bill.

"We were aware of Rep. Ty's position as he truly represented the interests of business in Congress. It is this kind of representation that defined his opposition to EML. He, of course, cannot stand as a businessman and a worker at the same time. This measure is for workers, especially women," concluded Miranda.

4 September 2018

Make or break mediation meeting tomorrow: Sanofi med reps call on Baldoz to broker a fair deal

SAEU members hold flash mob @ Sanofi office @ Makati

With a mediation meeting tomorrow between the union and management of pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Aventis (Phils) Inc. called by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz herself, the med reps are calling on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to broker a “fair deal.” The mediation is a make or break meeting as the notice of strike has already matured last week and the union has already been preparing for a work stoppage for the past several days through sustained protests.

Lei Lucido, president of the Sanofi Aventis Employees Union (SAEU), stated that “We have already reduced our demands, including for a wage increase, in a bid to break the collective bargaining deadlock. But since October, management has refused to meet its employees halfway. We just hope Secretary Baldoz can exercise moral suasion on management to open up to the union’s just and fair demand.”

“We are simply asking for salary we deserve. We are just claiming a wage increase proportionate to labor productivity and company profitability,” Lucido added.

SAEU is planning a big protest tomorrow to coincide with the mediation. The highlight will be a flash mob by several SAEU members who will dance while wearing Guy Fawkes (movie “V”) masks as expression of their determination to fight for a wage increase and decent benefits.

“We have met demanding sales quotas for two years back to back. Revenues are expanding while med reps are dwindling. Still labor costs are a mere 2% of Sanofi’s operational costs. Such productivity increases deserve a salary increase,” insisted Joseph Corpuz, a SAEU officer.

“The labor movement supports SAEU’s fight for a salary hike. All workers deserve a living wage. Ang laban ng isa ay laban ng lahat,” averred Renato Magtubo, chair of Partido Manggagawa (PM).

In the latest protest on Friday, SAEU members previewed the flash mob/dance that they will perform tomorrow. Since Wednesday SAEU has organized daily protests in cities across the country. On the first day of protests, pickets were held in the Sanofi office in Makati and the DOLE regional offices in the cities of Angeles in Pampanga, Cebu, Bacolod and Davao. Last Thursday, prayer rallies were held in the cities of Makati, Calamba in Laguna, Angeles, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao.

The fight of the Sanofi med reps has already gained support from various labor unions and groups. Aside from PM, members of the Bayer Philippines labor union, Philippine Airlines Employees Association, Federation of Free Workers and Industri-ALL global union have participated in the SAEU daily protests.

Photos and videos of the SAEU activities/protests can be accessed at the Facebook page "Sanofi Aventis Employees Union"

January 24, 2016

Sanofi Aventis Employees Union

PALEA: Contractualization is unacceptable whether of MVP or LT’s type

Press Release

September 23, 2011

PALEA

In reaction to news reports on the possible acquisition by Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) of Philippine Airlines (PAL) from Lucio Tan (LT), the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) stated that if his business model is also outsourcing and contractualization then it is unacceptable. “Contractualization is not ok whether of MVP or LT’s type,” asserted Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of Partido ng Manggagawa.

Despite open denials from both the camps of Pangilinan and Tan, rumors persist of a buyout of PAL. Rivera added that “MVP is not a white knight but a black plague if his business model is more of the same contractualization. Furthermore PAL is not in need of a savior since it is a hugely profitable business with US$72.5 million in income for its 2010-2011 fiscal year.”

Rivera insisted that “The labor dispute can only be resolved if the present and any future owners of PAL maintain rather than destroy the job security of its workers. It is time for employers make a paradigm shift and craft business models that sustain regular jobs. Especially for the aviation industry, airline and passenger safety is ensured by regular employees not contractual workers whose work experience is no more than six months at a time and who are demoralized by low wages and bad working conditions.”

 “Outsourcing will not make PAL lean and mean, instead it will simply make Lucio Tan even richer. The same number of employees will still be working as a whole, only that many would then be in contractual agencies which pay less in wages and benefits. To cite examples, senior reservation agents of PAL who receive some PhP22,400 in salaries and allowances will just be paid PhP10,000 in the PLDT-owned service provider SPI Global and master technicians in airport services are being offered a measly PhP11,111.50 wage in Sky Logistics,” Rivera revealed.

With a week to go before the effectivity date of PAL’s outsourcing plan, PALEA asserts that a tiny minority of workers have accepted the separation offer and even less have signed up for work in the service providers. “We know that no more than 15% of the total 2,600 affected employees have claimed the separation package and even less than 7% have applied for jobs as contractuals in the providers,” Rivera announced.

He also contested that PAL would become more efficient if outsourcing is implemented. “It is myth that the departments to be outsourced are non-core services. No PAL plane can fly without the labor of employees in the airport services, in-flight catering and flight reservations. These departments are in fact profit centers that generate revenues for PAL. It is also a misconception that PAL is overmanned. If PAL employees do not regularly perform overtime then operations are disrupted and flights are delayed,” Rivera elaborated.

PALEA: SC final decision on FASAP case bolsters petition vs. outsourcing

Press Release

September 20, 2011

PALEA

The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) asserted today that the Supreme Court’s (SC) final decision in favor of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association’s (FASAP) on the illegal retrenchment case bolsters its position against the outsourcing plan of Philippine Airlines (PAL). “After 13 long years, the SC ruled with finality that PAL is guilty of illegal dismissing 1,400 flight crew at the height of the flag carrier’s financial troubles. Today with PAL awash in PhP 5 billion in income, the courts will clearly decide against the legality of terminating 2,600 ground crew if the judicial process is given due course,” declared Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

PALEA congratulated FASAP in its hard won victory. “We salute our brothers and sisters in FASAP for the justice they have achieved after a protracted legal battle. This is the reason we argue that the ruling of the Office of the President on the outsourcing plan is not yet final and executory pending final judicial resolution of the case,” Rivera clarified.

PALEA members continued its protests against the layoff and contractualization by participating in the joint labor rally this afternoon at Mendiola. The groups Church-Labor Conference, Koalisyon Kontra Kontraktwalisasyon and PM held the rally on eve of the anniversary of martial law to denounce government policies that suppress labor rights.

“It is as if martial law has not been lifted for the labor movement. The workers of PAL, Hanjin shipyard and Dusit Hotel are living examples of martial law in the labor front,” Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson, argued. Tomorrow PALEA is celebrating its 65^th anniversary with a vow to “defeat PAL’s union busting scheme masquerading as an outsourcing plan.”

The SC second division in a ruling dated September 7, 2011 dismissed PAL’s second motion for reconsideration and ordered PAL to reinstate 1,400 flight attendants with full backwages. PALEA noted that among the issues resolved by the SC was that retrenchment is valid only if alleged business losses are substantial, serious and actual, which PAL failed to prove for the case of the flight crew.

PALEA has a pending petition at the Court of Appeals (CA) against the OP decision on the outsourcing plan. “The flight attendants were dismissed in 1998 at a time when PAL was obviously facing loss losses but the courts nonetheless saw that the financial difficulties were not serious enough to merit mass layoff. Thus we believe that both the CA and SC will both rule against PAL’s outsourcing plan. Like the FASAP case, PAL argued for the outsourcing plan on supposed losses which has been disproved by the company’s own financial statements proving the flag carrier is highly profitable,” Rivera said.

PALEA asks gov’t anew to stop outsourcing as PAL is awash in profits

Press Release

August 14, 2011

PALEA

With Philippine Airlines (PAL) reporting a net yearly income of USD 72.5 million, the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) once more petitioned the government to stop the outsourcing plan of management and order it to begin negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This was contained in manifestations by PALEA to the Office of the President (OP) and the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) filed last August 3. PALEA has a pending motion for appeal on the legality of the outsourcing plan at the OP while its case for refusal to bargain is being heard by the NLRC.

“We call on the OP and the NLRC to take consideration of PAL’s more than PhP 3 billion profit (at USD to PhP exchange rate of 42.5) in making their decision in on the pending cases. PAL’s robust financial health belies its argument that outsourcing is necessary for the flag carrier to survive. Since PAL is awash in profits even without outsourcing then there is no reason for it to retrench more than 2,600 employees,” insisted Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and Partido ng Manggagawa vice chair.

Last July 21, PAL filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission its consolidated financial report for the fiscal year ending in March 31, 20011. “The latest yearly income wiped out the previous year’s USD 14.4 million loss. In fact PAL’s actual profit was more than USD 72.5 million since it paid USD 46.5 million in outstanding debt last June 7, 2010. PAL earned more than a hundred million dollars in just one year,” argued Rivera.

He added that “But even with just the declared yearly income, PAL can easily cover the costs of PALEA’s CBA proposal for 2008-2013. Again there is no cause for PAL to refuse to bargain in good faith with PALEA.”

Aside from PAL’s big income, PALEA also cited in its manifestation the 14% increase in total current asset, decrease in the company’s total liabilities, 176% increase in equity among its shareholders, and even the growth of the flag carrier’s fleet to 51 aircraft.

“If despite PAL’s lucrative operations, PNoy allows the outsourcing plan, then it would mean a historic shift in government policy to allow profitable companies to retrench thousands of its workers. It would mean making our employment policy a second-rate trying-hard copycat of American industrial relations where giant money-making corporations can fire at will,” Rivera explained.

He furthered that “But PNoy should beware since the result of flexible employment relations in the US was not economic progress but financial crisis. The unequal distribution of wealth is at the root of the global financial crash of 2008 at even the present threat of a double-dip recession in the US.”