ABS-CBN should regularize its workers if franchise renewed—labor group

Photo from ABS-CBN

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) reiterated its call on the company to regularize its workers once its franchise is renewed by Congress. “We support the challenge by Senator Risa Hontiveros during the Senate hearing on the franchise of ABS-CBN for the company to improve working conditions and promote job security of its employees if the franchise is renewed,” stated Wilson Fortaleza, PM chairperson.

He added that “In the same vein, we assail ABS-CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak for refusing to commit to regularize all of its 11,071 workers as dared by Senator Hontiveros.”

The group stated that ABS-CBN should treat as kapamilya its 5,000 workers who are project-based or independent contractors by making them regular employees. “ABS-CBN of course gives mandated benefits to its non-regular workers. But the crux of the contractualization issue is that ABS-CBN—along with other broadcast firms—denies  better wages & benefits to them since they are not regular in status. In fact it is disingenuous for ABS-CBN to now express concern for its 11,071 but refuse to recognize employee-employer relationship when a few years ago contractual workers unionized in a bid to negotiate for improved wages and working conditions,” Fortaleza said.

He ended with the statement “ If anything, the Senate hearing made crystal clear that the attempt to shutdown ABS-CBN is rooted in just President Duterte’s personal grudge about non-airing of his campaign ads.”

February 24, 2020

DOLE asked to act on factory closures, forced leaves

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello to act with dispatch on other cases of factory closures and even forced leave of workers. The other day, it was announced by management that the Honda plant manufacturing cars in Laguna was to be closed down.

“Other than the 387 Honda workers in Laguna that will be laidoff as a result, Secretary Bello should also look into the thousands of workers who are also victims of forced leaves and factory closures in Cavite and Cebu,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

“The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) should prepare relief and assistance to the displaced workers together with an investigation into the causes of the forced leaves and factory closures, including compliance with labor laws,” Magtubo explained.

He added that “Under the radar, there are more cases of workers losing incomes.” PM said that the Sports City group of companies in the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) in Cebu that produce for global garments brands have been putting workers on forced leave due to reduced production.

The group also cited the declaration of electronics locators in MEZ that production is due to be affected by the ban on flights from China where parts and supplies come from. MEZ Deputy Administrator Atty. Rufino Ranulfo San Juan IV was quoted that at least one electronics company has said that it may close down if supplies from China do not arrive due to the impact of the CoVID-19 epidemic.

PM also cited the repeated temporary closure of a garments factory in Cavite which made 348 workers jobless since late last year. “DOLE should look into the Sejung Apparel Inc. firm which has closed down three times in October 2019, January 2020 and again this month. We believe this is intended to bust the union formed last year,” Magtubo insisted.

He furthered that “DOLE is also dragging its feet on releasing a compliance order on the dispute about Sejung management’s non-payment of 13^th month pay and the last salary of workers. The rule is crystal clear that the 13^th month pay should be given at most by December 24. Is the DOLE waiting for Holy Week before compelling a company to pay mandated Christmas benefits?”

February 24, 2020

Media Advisory: NEVER AGAIN TO DICTATORSHIP

MEDIA ADVISORY

Kalipunan ng mga Kilusang Masa

23 February 2020

Request for coverage

Contact:

NEVER AGAIN TO DICTATORSHIP

Commemoration of 1986 Edsa People Power

6:00 PM    February 24, 2020

Boy Scout Circle, Timog-Morato, QC

Members of Kalipunan call on the people to continue fighting for freedom and to reject another dictatorship.  That fight for freedom includes that of the press, labor and women’s rights, the defense of the environment, all under attack by Duterte's increasing authoritarian rule.

Media workers are also set to join the February 24 activity.

Contact Person: Wilson Fortaleza, +63 945 218 2693

Drilon asked to air concern on endo jobs not just job loss of ABS-CBN workers

In reaction to the statement of Senator Franklin Drilon about the impending joblessness of ABS-CBN workers if the franchise is not renewed, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) asked that he also air his concern on the contractual status of thousands of the network’s employees.

“If Senator Drilon accepts the fact that there are 11,000 ABS-CBN employees, then he must necessarily ask the question why some 10,000 of them remain on contractual status and thus denied higher wages, good benefits and job security,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “ABS-CBN denies its employee-employer relationship to these so-called talents and thus the company avers that it only has some 1,000 workers.”

On Monday, PM and other groups like Kalipunan and I-Defend are mobilizing against the repression of democratic rights and for defense of freedoms such as a critical press and the right to unionize. Unions are being red-tagged and strikes are being dispersed around the country, the group observed.

“We call on Congress not to end the franchise of ABS-CBN but we also demand that ABS-CBN stop endo among it workers. Wag i-endo ng Kongreso ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN pero wag din i-endo ng ABS-CBN ang mga manggagawa nito,”Magtubo explained.

Yesterday PM slammed Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa for his indifference to the predicament of some 11,000 workers of ABS-CBN who will be affected by a shutdown of the network.

“Wag pagmatigasan ni Bato ang mga manggagawa ng ABS-CBN. If Senator Bato is does not care about 11,000 ABS-CBN workers losing their jobs then he also does not care about the Filipino people. The plight of 11,000 ABS-CBN workers is a microcosm of the the conditions of some 26 million wage and salary workers in the country who together with their families definitely comprise a majority of the Filipino people,” argued Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

Magtubo made this remark in answer to Senator dela Rosa’s contention that the interests of the Filipino people trump concern over the livelihood of the ABS-CBN workers. He added that “It is obvious that the threat to shutdown ABS-CBN is rooted in President Duterte’s personal grudge and does not have anything to do with the national interest. Bato himself said that he lives or dies with President Duterte so his loyalty is just to one person not the entire nation.”

The group called on regular and contractual ABS-CBN workers to forge an alliance and for the talents to organize so that they have voice and representation. “Neither the Lopezes nor Duterte, or even the political opposition, can be relied upon to treat ABS-CBN workers fairly. Whatever happens to ABS-CBN, the workers are protected if they are united and organized,” stated Magtubo. 

February 20, 2020

Bato hit for indifference to 11K ABS-CBN workers

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) today slammed Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa for his indifference to the predicament of some 11,000 workers of ABS-CBN who will be affected by a shutdown of the network.

“Wag pagmatigasan ni Bato ang mga manggagawa ng ABS-CBN. If Senator Bato is does not care about 11,000 ABS-CBN workers losing their jobs then he also does not care about the Filipino people. The plight of 11,000 ABS-CBN workers are a microcosm of the the conditions of some 26 million wage and salary workers in the country who together with their families definitely comprise a majority of the Filipino people,” argued Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

On Monday, PM and other groups like Kalipunan and I-Defend are mobilizing to call for resistance to the repression of democratic rights and defense of freedoms such as a critical press and the right to unionize. Unions are being red-tagged and strikes are being dispersed around the country, the group observed.

Magtubo made this remark in answer to Senator dela Rosa’s contention that the interests of the Filipino people trump concern over the livelihood of the ABS-CBN workers. He added that “It is obvious that the threat to shutdown ABS-CBN is rooted in President Duterte’s personal grudge and does not have anything to do with the national interest. Bato himself said that he lives or dies with President Duterte so his loyalty is just to one person not the entire nation.”

“Higher wages and better working conditions for ABS-CBN workers and the regularization of some 10,000 so-called talents in the network are the same popular demands of Filipino workers. Survey after survey reveal that regular jobs and decent wages are desired by the Filipino people,” Magtubo explained.

The group joined the clamor against the threat to shutdown ABS-CBN. “Stop the threat to end the franchise of ABS-CBN but the company must also stop endo among its workers,” demanded Magtubo.

The group called on regular and contractual ABS-CBN workers to forge an alliance and for the talents to organize so that they have voice and representation. “Neither the Lopezes nor Duterte, or his lackeys like Bato, can be relied upon to treat ABS-CBN workers fairly. Whatever happens to ABS-CBN, the workers are protected if they are united and organized,” stated Magtubo.

February 19, 2020

Labor group slams House’s move allowing foreigners 100% ownership of public utilities

The labor group, Partido Manggagawa (PM), warns as ‘unFilipino’ and ‘dangerous’, the plan by members of the House of Representatives to relax foreign limitations on ownership of public utilities in the country by way of a killer amendment to the Commonwealth Act, otherwise known as Public Service Act of 1936. 

The House plenary on Tuesday passed on second reading House Bill 78. A majority-backed bill that passes the second reading is almost sure of passing the third and final reading at any moment.  The bill has a similar counterpart in the Senate. 

The killer amendment is aimed at differentiating “public utility” from “public service”, thereby avoiding the 60-40 limit set by the 1987 Constitution on ownership of public utility. Under the proposal, the secretariat of National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) will have the power to recommend before Congress the reclassification of public utility as a ‘public service’. 

“Our present lawmakers are trying to make themselves economically profound yet are very confused of what a public utility is. But let’s believe our instincts here. Their confusion comes not from the grey side of the law but from their vacillating standpoint that we Filipinos can stand on our own,” stated PM spokesperson, Wilson Fortaleza. 

Fortaleza asserted that as a matter of fact, the global agenda of trade union and social movements around the world today is de-privatization as decades of globalization (liberalization, privatization and deregulation) processes did not only weaken the capacities of poor nation-states but also created the most outrageous level of inequality among peoples, where less than 1% of the population owns more than half of the world’s wealth. 

“There is now a Brexit in EU and perhaps, a Frexit and Grexit soon. Trump on the other hand is pulling the US inwards to make America great again. The main proponents of globalization are now moving to the right by talking left as this is the only way to distance their selves from a failed project. Yet here are our smart politicians trying to save this failed and evil system in the Philippines,” said Fortaleza. 

The group cited as an example the failed privatization of the country’s water and power sector, which control by oligarchs and their foreign partners, is now the favourite subject of President Duterte. 

“The oligarchs are very happy we gave them the best of our public utilities in the 1990s onwards. They want more, of course, in the same way the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Americans and Europeans would want to take their slice of the pie that Congress under Cayetano is willing to surrender as one,” lamented Fortaleza. 

The labor group raises the fear that if Congress is not seeing these examples as something that would make them rethink of a better alternative other than reliance to foreign, particularly Chinese investments, then this country really fits the narrative of being a Republic of Endo, Province of China.

19 February 2020

Shutdown POGOs, protect victims of crime and labor rights violations – Partido Manggagawa

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) added its voice to the growing public clamour to shutdown the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, both legal and illegal. But at the same it urges the government to protect and save their workers, both foreign and local, from further injustice after having been victimized by human trafficking and other crimes committed against them by their recruiters and operators.

“Kahit saan tingnang anggulo, batay sa pagdinig sa Senado ay operasyong sindikato ang lumalabas na pag-iral ng mga POGO na ito sa ating bansa. Sino mang protektor ng operasyong ito ay dapat malantad at maparusahan,” declared PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

POGO operations in the country has come under close scrutiny from the public after news of their illegal operations, tax evasion, and the proliferation of crimes related to it such as human trafficking, sex trafficking and kidnapping, among others, began to surface one after another.

“History would tell us that high-end gambling operations, legal or not, are always accompanied by crimes especially against women as most of the victims of human trafficking, prostitution and sexual abuse are women. Whoever is allowing these things to happen should be guilty of the same crime hence must be prosecuted,” said Miranda.

The group argues that closer ties with China should not make the country more tolerant of these kinds of crimes, including violations of labor rights.

Crimes against women and violations of labor standards, Miranda stressed, have no boundaries hence the Philippine state is duty-bound to apply them to all workers, local or foreign.

“Hindi dahil malayang pinagnenegosyo ng administrasyon ang mga POGO sa bansa ay malaya na rin nilang mapagsamantalahan ang mga manggagawa,” concluded Miranda.

18 February 2020

Shutdown POGOs, protect victims of crime and labor rights violations – Partido Manggagawa

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) added its voice to the growing public clamour to shutdown the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, both legal and illegal. But at the same it urges the government to protect and save their workers, both foreign and local, from further injustice after having been victimized by human trafficking and other crimes committed against them by their recruiters and operators.

“Kahit saan tingnang anggulo matapos ang pagdinig kahapon sa Senado ay operasyong sindikato ang lumalabas na pag-iral ng mga POGO na ito sa ating bansa. Sino mang protektor ng operasyong ito ay dapat malantad at maparusahan,” declared PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

POGO operations in the country has come under close scrutiny from the public after news of their illegal operations, tax evasion, and the proliferation of crimes related to it such as human trafficking, sex trafficking and kidnapping, among others, began to surface one after another.

At a public hearing conducted Wednesday, a female worker who was a victim of human trafficking told the senate committee that she was also a victim of sexual abuse in her workplace. Said witness also mentioned a ‘powerful protector’ of POGO operations in the country.

“History would tell us that high-end gambling operations, legal or not, are always accompanied by crimes especially against women as most of the victims of human trafficking, prostitution and sexual abuse are women. Whoever is allowing these things to happen should be guilty of the same crime hence must be prosecuted,” said Miranda.

The group argues that closer ties with China should not make the country more tolerant of these kinds of crimes, including violations of labor rights.

Crimes against women and violations of labor standards, Miranda stressed, have no boundaries hence the Philippine state is duty-bound to apply them to all workers, local or foreign.

“Hindi dahil malayang pinagnenegosyo ng administrasyon ang mga POGO sa bansa ay malaya na rin nilang mapagsamantalahan ang mga manggagawa,” concluded Miranda.

13 February 2020

Militant group welcomes end of VFA despite wrong reason for its termination

The militant Partido Manggagawa (PM) today welcomed the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States despite it being ended by President Rodrigo Duterte as a retaliation for the cancellation of the visa of ally Senator Bato dela Rosa.

“Militant workers and women workers do not shed a tear for the death of the VFA even if it was terminated for the wrong reason by President Duterte. We look forward to no more Jennifer Laudes killed and Nicoles raped by US soldiers in the Philippines,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.

PM was active in the campaign for justice for Nicole, the accuser in the so-called Subic rape case by a US Marine in 2005. Then in 2014, another US Marine killed transgender Jennifer Laude in Olongapo.

Miranda averred that “Moreover, we demand that aside from the VFA, the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement be abrogated too. We stand for an independent foreign policy founded on preserving and protecting our country’s sovereignty and national interest, and cooperation with other nations on the basis of common concerns.”

The termination of the VFA and other pressing social issues in the country will be the subject of an assembly by PM this afternoon. More than a hundred union, urban poor, women and youth leaders in the NCR, Calabarzon and Central Luzon are meeting in QC Memorial Circle for a discussion of the national situation. PM is also celebrating its 19^th anniversary.

Miranda added that “We would have wanted President Duterte to tear up the VFA because he stood up for Philippine sovereignty. But that is wishful thinking of a President who also cannot defend our country against China’s incursions.”

“Those who argue that the VFA is needed to defend ourselves from China are wrong. The VFA did not stop China from militarizing the West Philippine Sea. It is not war or warmongering that will resolve the WPS dispute. Instead the Philippines needs to muster a coalition of Southeast Asian nations for a multilateral agreement on the WPS,” Miranda explained.

The group also took to task the senators who are trying to save the VFA. “It would have been better if these senators had agreed with the termination of the VFA on the right basis of advancing Philippine sovereignty. But again it is too much to ask of these weak-kneed politicians. Apparently their loyalty to Tatay Digong ends where their loyalty to Uncle Sam begins,” Miranda insisted.

February 12, 2020