Posts

CPP, Makabayan condemn violent dispersal of Nutriasia workers

/in /by

By April Burcer

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives separately condemned the brutal dispersal of NutriAsia workers that led to the arrest of 20 people as well as the wounding of several strikers Thursday.

In separate statements, both organizations criticized the unnecessary use of force in dispersing the workers who have been holding a strike for 13 days to fight for regularization and better working conditions.

CPP said that “NutriAsia workers are demanding the regularization of more than a thousand contractual workers and the reinstatement of union leaders dismissed by the company.”

Out of the 1400 workers in NutriaAsia, only 100 of them are regular employees and the rest are employed by six subcontracting agencies, Jessie Gerola, chairperson of the union Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng NutriAsia said in an earlier interview.

The Makabayan bloc, composed of Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna, Antonio Tinio and France Castro of ACT Teachers, Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women’s Party, Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis and Sarah Elago of Kabataan party-list, on the other hand, called for an investigation on the contractualization policy and the working environment in NutriAsia.

“The workers are only asking to become regular employees of Nutriasia after working in the factory for as long as 15 years, but the company’s and court’s response is a violent dispersal,” the bloc said.

“The Party enjoins the broad masses of workers, students and other sectors to extend support and solidarity with the striking workers of Nutriasia, as well as workers in other companies, in their struggle to defend their right to regular jobs and for wage increases,” CPP wrote.

It started with a clap

News reports said that the strike was prompted by the dismissal of about 50 workers who participated in an earlier protest against the sacking of five union leaders along with their members.

The workers clapped as a way of condemning the termination of the union leaders without reasonable grounds, reports said.

Last February, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ordered NutriAsia and its three contractors –Alternative Network Resources Unlimited Multipurpose Cooperative, Serbiz Multipurpose Cooperative and B-Mirk Enterprises Corporation – to regularize 914 of their workers, which never happened.

NutriAsia is a large condiment company owned by Joselito Campos Jr. and known for its products such as Datu Puti vinegars and soy sauces, Mang Tomas all-purpose sauce, UFC ketchups, Jufran ketchup, and Golden Fiesta cooking oil.

Other activist organizations have also called for a boycott of all NutriAsia products while the labor dispute remain unresolved. #

 

Php750 minimum wage possible, non-inflationary and good for the economy–​IBON​

/in /by

Contrary to government and big employers’ claims, research group IBON said that raising minimum wages nationwide to Php750 is doable, need not spike prices further, and will benefit millions of Filipino workers and the economy.

The group cited the following reasons:

  1. Raising minimum wages nationwide to Php750 is doable if owners of establishments allow a small portion of their profits to go to their workers instead.

    Firms and the economy as a whole have more than enough profits to support this.

    Data from the 2015 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that the 34,740 establishments employing 20 or more have Php1.7 trillion in total profits and 4.5 million employees.

    Raising the average daily basic pay of wage and salary workers from the nationwide average of Php378.71 to Php750 transfers just Php473.2 billion to workers’ pockets, which is only a 28.3 percent decrease in profits.

    Workers will meanwhile get to take home an additional Php8,076 per month on average.

    This still falls short of the family living wage and does not necessarily bring everyone up to a decent standard of living but such an increase will provide immediate relief to millions of Filipino workers and their families.

  2. Raising minimum wages nationwide to Php750 will not necessarily hike inflation. Prices need not go up and workers need not be laid off if employers accept the slight cut in profits.

  3. As it is, wages are not even keeping up with the rising productivity of workers so their ever-growing contribution to the economy increases employer profits more than improves workers’ welfare. For instance, according to the Labor Productivity Statistics of the PSA, the contribution of each worker to total gross domestic product (GDP) increased from Php196,179 in 2015 to Php198,215 in 2016 (up by 2.2 percent). This means that the average daily contribution of each worker to the economy amounts to some Php759.44 per day, which is more than double the average daily basic pay and more than the proposed national minimum wage.

  4. The economy will also benefit by increasing workers’ purchasing power and aggregate demand which stimulates higher production and increases economic activity. Raising minimum wages nationwide also reduces inequality by transferring wealth overly concentrated in a few to millions of workers and their families.

According to IBON, the country’s largest corporations and the wealthiest families owning these can easily absorb the substantial wage hike.

Smaller producers in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will also be able to afford the wage hike with government support such as immediately providing cheap and easy credit, giving marketing support, nurturing locally-integrated supply chains, and improving their scientific and technological capabilities.

MSMEs will also benefit from increased worker demand for their goods and services in the domestic market, said the group. #

KMU urges DOLE to ‘immediately regularize’ workers on contractual list

/0 Comments/in /by

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) must enforce its regularization orders instead of simply coming out with lists of companies practicing contractualization, militant labor federation Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) challenged the agency.

Reacting to the DOLE revelation that some of the country’s biggest companies are among the top implementors of the illegal contractualization scheme, KMU said the list may only grow longer without foreceful implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 51 banning labor-only contracting in many industries.

“In the first place, many names on the list came from the workers who filed them with DOLE. What we need to see now are final and executory orders for regularization of contractual workers,” KMU chairperson Elmer Labog said.

‘Contractualization kings’

In a press conference Monday, DOLE revealed a total of 3,377 companies were found to be engaged and suspected to be engaged in labor-only contracting arrangements based on its initial list of non-compliant establishments.

“We are now providing you the top 20 non-complaint companies according to the number of workers that need to be regularized, from a list of 3,377 non-compliant establishments involving 224,852 workers from various parts of the country,” Bello said.

Among the top violators include giant Jollibee Food Corporation with 14,960 affected workers, followed by the Dole Philippines, Inc., with 10,521 affected workers, and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) with 8,310 affected workers.

DOLE also identified Philsaga Mining Corporation with 6,624 affected workers; General Tuna Corporation with 5,216; Sumi Phils Wiring System Corporation with 4,305; Franklin Baker Inc., with 3,400; Philipinas Kyohritsu with 3,161; Furukawa Automotive System Phil. Inc., with 2,863; and the Magnolia Inc., with 2,248 affected workers.

KCC Property Holdings, Inc., with 1,802 affected workers; Sumifru Philippines , Corp. with 1,687; Hinatuan Mining Corporation with 1,673; KCC Mall De Zamboanga with 1,598; Brother Industries (Philippines) Inc., with1,582; Philippine Airlines and PAL Express with 1,483; Nidec Precision Philippines Corporation with 1,400; Peter Paul Phil. Corporation with 1,362; Dolefil Upper Valley Cooperations with 1,183; and the SOLE-Stanfilco with 1,131 affected workers are also included in the preliminary list DOLE submitted to Malacanan Palace last May 25, 2018.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the list was culled from the result of inspections of 99,526 establishments from June 2016 to April 2018.

DOLE said the list was just an initial report, considering the labor inspections covered only a fraction of more than 900,000 establishments nationwide.

Bello said SM Malls were not included in the list as it has already submitted a voluntarily regularization program, which targets an estimated 10,000 regularized workers by the end of 2018.

DOLE Department Order No. 174 prohibits labor–only contracting, which exist when the contractor merely recruits, supplies or places workers to perform a job for a principal under employment arrangements designed to circumvent the right of workers to security of tenure.

DOLE said a total of 176,286 workers have been regularized as of May 11, 2018 through the intensified labor enforcement system of the labor department.

‘Let it not stay a list’

KMU however said DOLE’s list will only grow longer without a more forceful and sustained implementation of regularization orders.

“In the case of PLDT, there were only about 7,400 contractual workers when KMU and Kilos Na Manggagawa filed a complaint with DOLE earlier. Now, it is saying there are already 8,310 affected workers. If DOLE does not enforce regularization orders, the numbers will only increase,” Labog said.

“Now that they have a list, it should not stay merely as a list. DOLE must immediately issue and enforce regularization orders for these workers,” Labog added.

KMU said that should DOLE’s list does not translate to the regularization of its number of affected workers, it becomes another mere palliative to the lack of a wage increase in the midst of runaway price increases of basic commodities and services due to the Duterte government’s tax measures.

KMU added it supports House Bill 7787 for a national minimum wage law filed by the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives Monday. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Still no better jobs for Filipinos–IBON

/0 Comments/in /by

First quarter economic growth this year did not translate to better jobs for Filipinos, research group IBON said.

This means that despite government claims that the groundwork for reforms has been laid, growth has remained essentially exclusionary, generating jobs that are insecure and low-paying, said the group.

Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia recently announced the 6.8 percent Philippine economic growth for the first quarter of 2018 to be among the fastest in Asia, second only to Vietnam’s 7.4 percent and at par with China’s.

According to Pernia, these indicate that infrastructure development is accelerating and “Build, Build, Build” is gaining ground.

NEDA even said that OFWs could thus consequently come home to more jobs.

IBON however underscored how at the same time, underemployment, part-time work and informal work swelled by over a million jobs each.

The group said that this implies how, amid supposedly growing capacity to produce goods and services, Filipinos were subjected to more insecure and low-paying jobs.

From January 2017 to January 2018, employment grew by 2.4 million especially in agriculture, services, manufacturing, and construction.

But the number of underemployed or persons looking for additional work grew from 6.4 to 7.5 million.

The number of part-time workers or those who worked below 40 hours a week increased by 1.2 million from 13.5 to 14.7 million.

Those in informal work, meanwhile, or in jobs that are uncertain or irregular with poor pay and benefits, increased by 1.4 million from 14.6 to 16 million.

According to IBON, poor quality work is growing because employers seek to peg wages at a low, minimize benefits and keep labor flexible to be able to increase their profits.

The government takes the side of employers and supports them with its policies of wage rationalization and labor flexibilization, which it justifies as needed to attract investments and drive growth, said the group.

It argued, however, that government’s vision for progress should instead include building a strong domestic economy that can generate regular, full-time and decent-paying jobs.

These can boost the Filipino working people’s purchasing power and yield higher returns for the Philippine economy, IBON said. # (IBON.org)

Working Filipino’s real wage, purchasing power weakening under Duterte

/0 Comments/in /by

Research group IBON said that accelerating inflation is rapidly eroding the real wage and purchasing power of minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Real wages show the actual value of wages after these are adjusted for inflation. After almost two years in power, the Duterte administration has only raised the minimum wage in the NCR once–in October last year–which increased this from Php491 in July 2016 to Php512 as of March 2018.

The nominal Php21 increase has however not been enough to keep up with rising prices.

Inflation has been steadily accelerating since the start of the Duterte administration to reach a six-year-high of 3.7 percent in 2017.

It is looking to become even higher this year at 4.8 percent already in the first quarter of 2018.

Minimum wage earners have actually already lost Php16.80 per day with the real value of their wages, measured at 2012 prices, falling from Php466.70 in July 2016 to just Php449.90 in March 2018.

The year 2012 is used as the reference period because this is the base year of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in computing the consumer price index (CPI) and inflation.

As it is, the NCR minimum wage of Php512 falls far short of the estimated Php973 family living wage (FLW) for a family of five, and even further short of the Php1,168 FLW for a family of six.

The eroding purchasing power of workers is resulting in even lower standards of living for minimum wage earners.

IBON said that the government should urgently address the grossly insufficient wages of workers, which is even being rapidly eroded by high inflation.

Immediate and concrete steps include implementing the Php750 national minimum wage demanded by workers’ groups and suspending implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Package One, which is driving prices up and amending this to become genuinely progressive; and enforcing price controls such as on staple food items. # (IBON.org)

Marker at Chicago Haymarket Square honors Kilusang Mayo Uno

/0 Comments/in /by
A plaque honoring Philippines’s Kilusang Mayo Uno  (KMU) was installed at the Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois, USA last May 1  at the monument honoring workers whose deaths led to several labor reforms, including the implementation of an eight-hour work day.
The installation of the plaque was organized by the Illinois Labor History Society.
Raymond Palatino Bagong Alyansang Makabayan represented KMU during the activity. Below is the text of Mong’s speech:
= = = = =
Salute to the working class of the United States! Salute to all working peoples of the world! Mabuhay!
It is an honor to represent the Kilusang Mayo Uno or May First Movement of the Philippines.
Today, we honor the Haymarket workers whose martyrdom did not only pave the way for labor reforms, but more importantly, it empowered and inspired the growth of the labor movement all over the world.
So powerful was the legacy of May One that it eventually became the International Workers Day.
The Philippine labor movement acknowledged the heroism of the Haymarket martyrs when its largest and most militant labor federation chose the name Kilusang Mayo Uno or May First Movement to unite all workers in the Philippines and lead the struggle of the working class.
KMU was established to strengthen the ranks of Filipino workers at a time when the country was under a dictatorship. KMU led the workers in resisting tyranny and linked arms with the farmers, the urban poor, and other freedom-loving Filipinos in ousting a dictator from power.
Since then, the KMU has been at the forefront of the labor movement, and it has consistently and bravely asserted, without compromise, the just demands of workers for higher wages, decent work, safe workplaces; and it has been a strong voice in pushing for democratic rights, an end to feudal oppression in the rural regions of the Philippines, the resistance against foreign control of the local economy, and the realization of the people’s national democratic aspirations.
For almost four decades now, the KMU has been an influential force in the people’s struggle for real democracy and lasting peace in the Philippines.
And so it is fitting that, as we place a KMU marker here in Chicago, we dedicate this in honor of all who devoted the best years of their lives, many of them even sacrificed their lives, in pursuing the revolutionary struggle for national democracy.
This plaque is also for the Filipino migrant farmers who arrived here in the US in the early 20th century. Some of them would become pioneers in union organizing. Their work is remembered today as we continue to fight for immigrant rights and the improvement of conditions of all migrant workers in the US.
This is for the assembly workers in the Philippines’ export processing zones who are toiling in sweatshop conditions, the plantation workers of Mindanao who are herded in militarized camps, the service sector employees denied of benefits, the migrant workers who are forced to be separated from their families because of poverty, underdevelopment, and unjust immigration policies. This is for all the working classes who do not surrender and who continue to march forward to fight for change.
This is for the labor organizers in the Philippines who are fighting a rising dictatorship amid nonstop attacks by state forces. Some of them are in prison yet the only crime they committed was to promote the welfare of workers.
In response, we proudly assert that union organizing is not a crime. Empowering the grassroots is not a crime. Standing up for migrant rights is not a crime.
The real criminal act is the exploitation of the working class, the greedy appropriation of profits and surplus value while workers are subjected to slave-like relations, and the collusion of big capitalists and corrupt politicians in violating labor rights.

KMU stands in solidarity with the American working class in challenging the neoliberal economic policies that drive down wages, destroy unions, and harm the health and well-being of workers.

Raymond Palatino (front row, 5th from right) with members of the Illinois Labor History Society. (Photo by Ciriaco Santiago III, used with permission)

KMU joins all workers in the world in smashing this inhumane system that perpetuates oppression and inequality.
The capitalists have money, the police, the courts, and dirty politicians; but the workers are stronger because we have unity and solidarity and the peoples of the world are one with us in building a better future, a beautiful tomorrow where there is real peace, justice, democracy, and respect for human dignity.
Long live the working class! Mabuhay ang uring manggagawa!

AGAW WEN Episode 3 – ENDO

/0 Comments/in /by

Panoorin ang ikatlong nakakamatay na episode ni Agaw Wen sa kaniyang pagtalakay sa infinite war ng milyun-milyong manggagawa laban sa Endo. Video ng Kilab Multimedia.

 

I-click ito para mapanood si ‘Gaw Wen

Amid price hikes: Minimum wage insufficient vs. rising family cost of living — IBON

/0 Comments/in /by

The onslaught of price hikes since early this year has made the mandated minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR) even more inadequate for millions of Filipino workers to decently support their families, said research group IBON.

IBON computations show that the NCR nominal minimum wage still falls considerably short of the rising family living wage (FLW).

As of March 2018, Php1,168 is needed daily to support a family of six, while Php973 is needed for a family of five.

Worsening inflation has increased the FLW needed from the same period last year by Php57 for a family of six and by Php48 for a family of five–a 5.2 percent increase for both.

The minimum wage however has not kept up with the rising cost of living.

The NCR nominal minimum wage of Php512 is just 43.8 percent of the Php1,168 FLW in March this year.

This translates into a significant wage gap of Php656 or 56.2 percent, said the group.

For a family of five, the gap was nearly half (47.4 percent) of the FLW.

These wage gaps grew despite the regional wage board’s approval of a Php21 minimum wage increase from Php491 to Php512 last October 2017.

IBON said that the wage discrepancy is just as wide as the same period last year. In March 2017, the nominal minimum wage in the NCR of Php491 was 44.2 percent of the Php1,111 FLW for a family of six.

This was a wage gap of Php620 or 55.8 percent.

The group also noted that the average daily basic pay of wage and salary workers in NCR has declined under the Duterte administration. Latest official figures show that the NCR average daily basic pay fell from Php557.46 in July 2016 to Php542.16 in July 2017.

Workers’ minimum wages cannot cope with the higher prices that are driving up inflation and the cost of living, said the group.

The 5.2 percent inflation rate for the NCR in March 2018 is so far the highest in five years according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

IBON said that there should be an immediate, substantial and across-the-board minimum wage increase against the high inflation.

The government should approve and mandate the Php750 national minimum wage that workers groups are calling for.

Implementation of TRAIN Package One which is among the drivers of inflation should also be suspended and the law reviewed towards being amended to become genuinely progressive.

It should also ensure job security, necessary benefits, better working conditions, as well as much-needed social services that will assist Filipino workers and their families in meeting their basic needs, said the group. #

 

Ruta ni Ka Roda

/in /by

On the eighth death anniversary of Medardo Roda of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON), we are re-posting this Kodao-produced video documentary of the legendary transport leader.

Ruta ni Ka Roda (Roda’s Route) is a 14-minute documentary about the life of Filipino transport leader Medardo Roda, popularly known as Ka Roda.

He was the longtime chair of the transport group Piston. He gave face to transport workers and fought alongside them for the longest time.

(Kodao Productions/2006 * Script/Direction/Editing: Risa Jopson * Cinematography: Ariel Saturay/Ron Papag/Risa Jopson/Asia Visions * Artistic Directors: Nes Jacinto+/Raymund Villanueva)