The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called
for the evacuation and repatriation of the crew of the Grand Princess ship,
which includes 529 Filipinos. US authorities have only allowed passengers to
disembark from the ship moored in Oakland, California, after which the Grand
Princess will sail away with the 1,100 crew.
“The decision by US authorities to
quarantine the crew on the Grand Princess means allowing the ship to be a petri
dish and putting at risk the health and life of 1,100 workers. We demand their evacuation
and repatriation to the Philippines of the Filipino crew,” stated Rene Magtubo,
PM national chair.
He insisted that according to the labor
contract with the ship owners, workers have a right to be repatriated and the
right to a safe workplace. But these rights are being violated since US
authorities are preventing their evacuation from a contaminated ship. PM is
thus condemning the discriminatory and racist policy of US authorities. Magtubo
added that the group supports a similar demand by the labor unionists in the
Bay Area.
“We likewise demand that the Philippine Department
of Labor and Employment and the Department of Foreign Affairs to make
representation to the US authorities on behalf of the Filipino crew of the
Grand Princess,” Magtubo averred.
He explained that “In contrast, both the
passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan were evacuated
and then repatriated. Although the three week period that the people in Diamond
Princess was allowed to ‘quarantine’ only led to the spread of infection in the
close quarters condition of a cruise ship. That mistake must not be repeated by
letting the Grand Princess sail to nowhere with 1,100 crew. ”
“The 437 crew and 2 passengers of the
Diamond Princess that were repatriated to the Philippines and then subsequently
quarantined in a local facility were released last March 11 since they did not
show any signs of infection. Another two however were positive for covid and
are undergoing further quarantine,” Magtubo said.
The labor group’s call is part of its
ongoing campaign for a worker-first policy regarding the employment impact of
the covid epidemic. PM earlier demanded that the Labor Department issue an
order mandating negotiations between management and workers before any layoffs
and flexible work arrangements are implemented. The group is also asking for
paid leaves and paid quarantine days.
March 14, 2020
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