PM slams PNoy’s contractual job policy, belittles non-wage benefits as “consuelo de bobo”

Press Release

May 1, 2011

The labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) slammed the non-wage benefits to be announced by President Benigno Aquino III on Labor Day and also the job fairs to be held by the Department of Labor and Employment. “On his first Labor Day, PNoy brings no good news for the workers, just a consuelo de bobo. Non-wage benefits should complement not supplant a wage hike,” declared Renato Magtbuo, PM national chair.

Magtubo also lambasted the “contractual job fairs” to be sponsored by the Department of Labor and Employment. “While 100,000 contractual positions are being offered in the job fairs the government is allowing the termination of 3,000 regular workers at Philippine Airlines. So is the employment policy of PNoy to foster contractualization?” he asked.

In Manila, PM together with the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA), United Cavite Workers Association (UCWA) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) assembled at Mehan Garden by 8:00 am then marched to Mendiola for a labor unity rally and mass officiated by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo. PM also had Labor Day protests in Cebu City, Davao City, Bacolod City, General Santos City and Iligan City.

Meanwhile Gerry Rivera, PALEA president said that “The good news that PALEA wish to hear on Labor Day is PNoy declaring that he is against outsourcing. With PALEA’s motion for reconsideration pending at the Office of the President, it is high time that PNoy reveals if he favors the straight road of regular jobs or the crooked path of contractualization.”

Rivera criticized employers for threatening layoffs and closures in the response to the demand for a wage hike. “This is just the usual capitalist black propaganda and blackmail. Employers will not go bankrupt with a wage hike but they will lose some of their profit,” he explained.

In Cebu, some 5,000 workers attended the labor unity rally of 12 groups including PM, ALU-TUCP, APL, Makabayan, Super, IBM, NUBE, NFL, MKP and NUWHRAIN at the DOLE office by 3:00 pm. At 5:00 pm Cebu Bishop Palma led a mass with the workers.

In Bacolod City, PM mobilized around 1,000 farm and factory workers together with the urban poor in a morning rally. In the afternoon the marchers attended the provincial congress of PM.

In Davao, workers and urban poor assembled at Orcullo Park by 1:00 pm and then marched at 3:00 pm around the main city streets. In General Santos City, the anti-contractualization alliance KONTRA sponsored the rally at the downtown area from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Finally in Iligan, PM joined the labor group FDLO in a mass in the early morning then a rally at the city plaza until noon.

PM estimates that the cost of living for a family of six in is around P1000 a day. PM based its estimate on its own cost of living study last year and the inflation rate over the past year.

The group is pushing for the establishment of a National Wage Commission. “The National Wage Commission will be different from the wage boards in that its mandate is to fix wages based on the single criterion of cost of living. And despite the huge difference between the minimum wage and the cost of living, the Wage Commission can bridge the gap by a host of mechanisms among which are direct wage increases, tax exemptions, price discounts and social security subsidies for workers,”  Magtubo explained.

PALEA: Good news on May 1 is PNoy declaring policy vs. contractua​lization

Press Release

PALEA

The good news that we wish on Labor Day is PNoy announcing that he is against outsourcing. But whether it is good or bad news, we want to hear PNoy speak on his personal position on the issue of contractualization. With PALEA’s motion for reconsideration pending at the Office of the President, PNoy cannot stay silent anymore and it is high time that he say to the PAL employees if he favors the straight road of regular jobs or the crooked path of contractualization.

As we commemorate Labor Day on May 1, we take note of the continuing decline in the number of labor unions and the number of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements in the country. This means that an increasing number of workers become more vulnerable to rights abuses, in the absence of labor unions and CBAs.

The case of PALEA is a perfect example of the continuing threat to workers' rights and trade unionism in the Philippines. PALEA is a big labor union with a long history. Compared to other labor unions, PALEA can be considered as "advanced". It has an existing CBA that prohibits the contracting out of jobs that are performed by regular employees. Despite these, PALEA is now under threat of annihilation.

With PAL's outsourcing plan, the CBA prohibition will be ignored; more than 2,600 employees will be terminated. Thirteen out of twenty one PALEA officers will be terminated. Only 900 rank and file employees, mostly administrative staff, will remain after the first wave of the mass termination. We expect that the first batch of 2,600 employees will be followed by further termination as the contracting out of the core services will also affect the administrative staff.

PAL violates the workers' rights to security of tenure. PAL violates our rights to collective bargaining. PAL attempts to destroy the union and deprive its workers of their right to self-organization. Sadly, the government allows PAL to do all these. Is there any cause for celebration on Labor Day?

But we will be out on the streets on May 1, to celebrate workers' solidarity and to manifest our continuing assertion and defense of our rights. We will be out on the streets to make clear our statement that we will fight for our jobs and our rights. We will do this not only for ourselves, but also for the sake of all workers in the country.

PM women push for RH bill, job security and wage increase on women’s day of suffrage

PRESS RELEASE

April 30, 2011

Around fifty (50) members of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) gathered at the gates of the Commission on Elections this morning to commemorate Filipino women’s 74^th year of exercising the right of suffrage. PM is pushing for the passage of the RH and job security bills, and a legislated wage increase.

They brought with them a ballot box for a symbolic casting of their votes for the RH bill, job security and wage increase. 

April 30 was declared as Women Suffrage Day through a proclamation issued by then President Marcos in March 29, 1984. It was in April 30, 1937 when Filipino women cast their votes in favor of women’s suffrage.

“If women would be allowed to vote on these measures, it would definitely be a 100% vote of support.  The RH bill will guarantee women’s right to their own bodies, while measures ensuring their employment, job security, and a living wage will guarantee their right to live a decent life,” asserted PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda. 

The right to suffrage then, Miranda added, merely granted women the right to choose their political leaders, “now we assert that it is high time that women’s right to decide on their own bodies be recognized and guaranteed by the state, including their right to a decent life.”

Miranda pointed out that historically, when women were first granted the right to vote, women workers continued their struggle for 8-hour work, better working conditions and decent wages which culminated into a powerful movement for labor rights – leading to the commemoration of the International Labor Day which started in 1886.

The passage of the right to a living wage, and passage of the security of tenure and RH bills are some of the demands to be raised by PM in the coming Labor Day celebration.

Aside from the Mendiola rally at noon, PM will also lead Labor Day protests in Cebu City, Davao City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, General Santos City, Iligan City and Dipolog City. Thousands of workers are expected to participate in the Labor Day protest.

Workers hold caravan for wage hike, regular jobs

Press Release

April 29, 2011

The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) together with the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) held today a “workers caravan” to press for a wage hike and campaign against labor contractualization. The motorcade of vehicles and motorcycles started early in the morning, passed through many industrial estates in Cavite and ended by the late afternoon at the country’s biggest economic zone in the town of Rosario.

“We want to bring the good news of the campaign against contractualization to the export zone workers, many of whom are themselves contractual employees rather than regular workers,” explained Renato Magtubo, PM chair.

Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and PM vice chair added that “The workers caravan is also part of our initiative to seek the support of the public on the planned strike at PAL to force management to accede to our demands.”

At 8:30 a.m. the initial groups of vehicles assembled at the

Diosdado Macapagal Highway

near the Uniwide Coastal Mall. It then proceeded along

Quirino Avenue

to SM Bacoor where they met the contingent of the United Cavite Workers Association.

From there they passed by the Yazaki-EMI factory in Imus and then the First Cavite Industrial Estate in Dasmarinas before stopping for lunch at the Freedom Island workers community in General Trias. At 2:00 p.m. the caravan went to the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario for a program that lasted until 4:00 p.m.

The workers caravan is a buildup activity for the May 1 rally. On Labor Day, PM will assemble at Mehan Garden in Manila then march to Mendiola for a labor unity rally and mass to be officiated by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo. Labor Day protests will also be held also in Cebu City, Davao City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, General Santos City, Iligan City and Dipolog City.

“There will be no good news for the workers on May 1, just a consuelo de bobo. Non-wage benefits should complement not replace a wage hike,” declared Magtubo. PM claimed that the cost of living in Metro Manila for a family of six is already PhP 1010 as of March. PM based its estimate on its own cost of living study last year and the inflation rate over the past year.

Meanwhile Rivera insisted that “The good news that we wish on May 1 is PNoy announcing that he is against outsourcing. With our motion for reconsideration pending at the Office of the President, it is timely for PNoy to declare if he favors the straight road of regular jobs or the crooked path of contractualization.”

PAL union, labor party press for inclusion of Baldoz in plunder case

PRESS RELEASE

29 April 2011

The Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) find it utterly necessary to include Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and other officials in the plunder case filed by former Solicitor General Frank Chavez against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“The use of OWWA money to buy votes in 2004 had long been discussed in many fora.  Now is the time to make the guilty parties accountable for squandering millions of OFW funds,” said PM chair Renato Magtubo.

Meanwhile, PALEA President Gerry Rivera called anew on Secretary Baldoz to resign from her post immediately amid the raging controversy.

According to Magtubo, Baldoz together with other members of the OWWA Board cannot dissociate themselves from this crime of Gloria since they facilitated the conversion of OFW funds into election dole outs in 2004. 

“In fact workers here and abroad have very strong doubt that Malacanang and labor and officials are only interested in the funds rather than in protecting the welfare of OFWs,” added Magtubo.

Some P530 million of OWWA funds were transferred to Philhealth in 2003.  These were allegedly used to finance the distribution of Philhealth cards during the 2004 election campaigns. Chavez said the fund transfer is illegal.

“During her time, all that’s coming out of the labor department are bad news,” said Rivera, stating as an example the ruling she made on the PAL-PALEA case where she abused her discretion in allowing Lucio Tan to layoff and contract out 2,600 regular jobs in violation of the existing collective bargaining agreement, the Constitution, the Labor Code and International Labor Organization’s conventions.

“And now that she is being associated to Gloria’s misuse of OWWA funds, all the more we suspect that her recent decisions on labor cases do not come from a clean hand,” concluded Rivera.