Ni Joseph Cuevas Valenzuela City—Binisita ng International Solidarity Mission (ISM) at mga taong simbahan ang piketlayn ng mga manggagawa ng CoreAsia Paper Mills sa Bagbaguin sa Valenzuela City. Doon nakawelga ang halos 50 na manggagawa na tinanggal nang management matapos magtayo ng unyon. Ayon kay Joseph Lorico, Internal Vice-President nang Pinagkaisang Lakas ng mga Manggagawa […]
PLDT, Jollibee workers hold ‘Black Friday’ protest vs contractulization
Workers camping out in Mendiola held a ‘Black Friday’ protest in Mendiola Bridge in Manila to register unjust working conditions and government’s ‘anti-people’ policies.
Already on its third day, the ‘Kampuhan Kontra Kontraktwalisasyon’ is a week-long protest camp near Malacañang Palace to bring workers’ demands closer to the Presidential Palace.
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Contractual PLDT workers join the ‘Black Friday’ protest in Mendiola. Photo by JC Gilana.
PLDT and Jollibee workers express rage and dissent over contractualization during the ‘Black Friday’ protest. Photos by JC Gilana.
Joining the protest camp are employees from Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Jollibee Foods Corporation, Manila Harbour Centre, and UniPak manufacturer Slord Development Corporation. They had also been mounting protest camps in their respective workplaces before holding a joint protest camp led by Kilusang Mayo Uno.
“Puro pagdurusa ang aming natatamasa. Ang mga manggagawang mahihirap, lalong humihirap samantalang ang mga kapitalistang mayayaman, lalong yumayaman,” said Marlou Maugan, a terminated worker from JFC.
(All we receive is suffering. Poor workers remain poor while rich capitalists get richer.)
Protesters urged Malacañang and the Department of Labor and Employment to hasten the execution of the workers’ regularization status.
The DOLE scheduled a mandatory conference with PLDT on July 11, but PLDT’s representatives did not show up.
Jollibee Foods Corp. tops the Department of Labor and Employment’s list of companies suspected to be practicing labor-only contracting, followed by Dole Philippines, Inc. Under several DOLE orders, labor-only contracting has been declared illegal.
In the weeks following the labor department’s order to regularize its employees, the said companies terminated the contracts of the hiring agencies contractual workers are working under.
The camp will culminate in the workers joining thousands of protesters during the ‘United People’s SONA’ on July 23 as Duterte delivers his third State of the Nation Address.
The post PLDT, Jollibee workers hold ‘Black Friday’ protest vs contractulization appeared first on Manila Today.
Groups announce People’s United SONA
Various ectors announce their participation in their so-called United People’s SONA to protest what they call President Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against the people. Saying they will be joined by a wider spectrum of political forces and individuals in their massive protest action on July 23, the forces also said they want an end to Duterte’s […]
LODI denounces killing of Albay journo: Under Duterte, one journalist is slain every two months
The media and arts alliance LODI (Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity) condemns the murder of Albay broadcaster Joey Llana in Daraga town today. Reports reaching LODI say that unidentified persons waylaid the 38-year old broadcaster’s vehicle on P6 road, Brgy. Penafrancia around 4:00. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead by emergency […]
#KampuhanKontraKontraktwalisasyon: ‘Pinalaki ako ng isang magsasaka’
Noong pumasok sa trabaho si Marlon Noto, 30, noong Hunyo 29, hindi niya inasahang huling beses na pala niyang makakatapak sa PLDT office sa East Avenue sa Quezon City. Sa hapon rin kasing iyon, ipinatawag siya at 80 pang manggagawa upang sabihang hindi na sila empleyado ng telecommunications company.
“Masama ‘yung loob namin dahil hindi man lang kami inabisuhan. Hindi kami binigyan ng panahong makapaghanda,” aniya.
Kasama ni Marlon ang kanyang mga kaibigan sa trabaho sa kampuhan. “Squad goals”, ika nga, dahil sabay silang natanggal sa trabaho at sabay rin silang lumalaban para sa karapatan sa kabuhayan.
Ilan lang sila sa halos 8,000 manggagawa ng PLDT na nawalan ng trabaho noong Hunyo. Sa halip na gawing regular ang mga manggagawa sa PLDT – nagbaba na ng order ang Department of Labor and Employment hinggil dito – itinigil ng kumpanya ang kontrata ng mga hiring agencies tulad ng sa SPi CRM, MG Exeo, at Curo Teknika.
Nagpatawag ng mandatory conference ang DOLE noong Hulyo 11 para sana magharap ang mga natanggal na manggagawa at ang kumpanya, ngunit hindi nagpakita ang huli.
Pangatlo ang PLDT sa listahan ng DOLE sa mga kumpanyang nagsasagawa ng labor-only contracting na umaapekto sa 8,310 manggagawa, kasunod ng Jollibee Food Corporation (15,000 apektado) at Dole Philippines, Inc. (11,000 apektado).
Walong taon nang nagtatrabaho si Marlon sa PLDT. Una siyang napasok bilang tagaayos sa scheduling sa Smart Broadband. Matapos ang dalawang taon, inilipat naman siya sa iPlus Inc. na Curo Teknika na ngayon.
Iba’t ibang trabaho ang ibinigay ni Marlon para sa Smart. Mula sa pag-aayos ng iskedyul para sa pagkabit ng internet sa mga kliyente ng PLDT, pagtanggap ng mga reklamo ng mga kliyente, hanggang sa pagsusulat ng performance report sa fixed wireless broadband team, kampante si Marlon na pirmihan na ang kanyang kabuhayan.
Sumasaklaw sa P11,800 hanggang P18,800 ang sinasahod ng mga manggagawa ng PLDT, depende sa pusisyon. Bilang office staff na nagsusulat ng mga report, kumikita si Marlon ng P16,800. Kalakip na rito ang rice subsidy na P1,000.
Nakararaos na rin naman siya sa mataas na standard of living sa Maynila, malayong malayo sa kung paanong iniraos ng kanyang ama ang kanyang pag-aaral.
“Pinalaki ako ng isang magsasaka,” kuwento niya. Dagdag pa ni Marlon na umasa sila sa tanim na mais upang makapagtapos siya. Sa limang magkakapatid, siya lang ang nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo.
Naging tenant ang ama niya sa isang lupain sa Bangar, La Union. Bagama’t iba ‘yung may-ari ng lupa, nakapagtanim ang ama niya ng mais nang makapagtapos sa kursong B.S. Information Technology si Marlon. “Kapag hindi season ng mais, nagsasangla si papa ng alahas,” dagdag niya. Kalaunan, ibinenta rin ng may-ari ang lupain. Isang memorial park na ngayon ang dating taniman ng mais.
Tinanong ko si Marlon kung ano ang reaksyon ng ama niya sa kanyang pagkakatanggal. “Sa totoo lang, hindi niya alam na nandito ako sa kampuhan. Sigurado kapag nalaman ng mga magulang ko ay matatakot sila para sa akin. Alam kasi nilang dito sa Mendiola naganap ang pamamaril sa mga magsasaka,” pagtutukoy niya sa ‘Mendiola Massacre’ noong Enero 1987.
“Pero bakit mo piniling sumali sa kampuhan kung may posibleng panganib?” panggigiit ko. Simple lang raw ang sagot, ani Marlon. “Kung natatakot ka, walang mangyayari, hindi uusad ang laban.”
Hinihimok ni Marlon ang kapwa niyang mga manggagawa sa Curo Teknika na magpatuloy sa laban nila para sa regularisasyon. Nasa katuwiran naman sila, aniya. Sapagkat makatuwiran naman talaga ang lumaban sa harap ng inhustisya.
The post #KampuhanKontraKontraktwalisasyon: ‘Pinalaki ako ng isang magsasaka’ appeared first on Manila Today.
Debt-driven growth an increasing burden–IBON
Nearing the third State of the Nation address, research group IBON said that debt-driven growth under the Duterte administration is not resulting in substantial improvements in the Philippine economy. According to the group, while ballooning debt accelerated government spending and pushed the 6.8% economic growth during the past year, the agriculture and industry sectors, which are essential for jobs generation, increasing people’s incomes and stimulating economic activity, continued to deteriorate. The bloated debt is fast becoming an even greater burden now for Filipinos.
With the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program underway, government spending leapt in terms of government final consumption expenditure from 0.1% to 13.6% growth from the first quarter of 2017 to the same period in 2018; and in terms of public construction from 2.1% to 25.1% growth, IBON observed.
However, despite reportedly improved tax revenues due to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN law, national government deficit grew rapidly from an equivalent of some 1.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the 2011-2016 period, to 3.9% in the first quarter of 2018.
Meanwhile, government has announced that gross borrowing, which grew from Php507 billion in 2016 to Php986 billion in 2018, will reach Php1.9 trillion in 2019. This may have been a factor in the international credit worthiness watchdog Fitch’s affirmation of a stable outlook of the Philippine economy, IBON said.
This burgeoning debt is alarming, said IBON, because not only does it create illusory growth; it also increases the Filipino’s debt burden without entailing real benefits for the people.
Despite growth, agriculture’s contribution to GDP is now only at 8.5%, while manufacturing remains stagnant at 23.6% of GDP in 2017. At about the same time, total debt has grown to Php6.8 trillion in May 2018 from Php5.9 trillion at the start of the Duterte administration, or by Php885 billion. This is more than double the amount of debt incurred by the previous administration in over six years.
Instead of spending on social and economic infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, hospitals, schools, and safe, accessible, affordable mass transport system, among others, which the people and the economy badly need, some 94% of government’s 75 flagship infrastructure projects are in fact mega railways, highways and airports that are highly profitable for the private sector or benefit business enclaves.
According to IBON, incurring debt is necessary for any government. However, the gigantic costs involved in the Duterte administration’s borrowing spree are geared to business-biased projects, leaving the nation’s development needs neglected, said the group. ###
Broadcaster killed in Albay; 12th under Duterte gov’t
A broadcaster in the Bicol Region was killed early Friday morning on his way to the radio station, the 12th victim of media killing under the two-year old Rodrigo Duterte government. Joey Llana, 38, a block-timer of radio station dwZR in Legazpi City, Albay was driving when fired upon by unidentified gunmen at Brgy. Penafrancia, […]
New projects for Filipino workers abroad launched
As a pilot initiative, International Labor Organization (ILO) works closely with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to develop the Migrant Recruitment Advisor (MRA), and Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) to develop the Migrant Rights Violation Reporting System, also known as HAMSA.