Max Lane Indonesia Southeast Asia and International Affairs

I post below some recent statements relating to an escalation of labour unrest in The Philippines. This follows in the wake of almost three years of political unrest focused on the methods used by the Arroyo government in coming to power and in the electoral process. I will try to follow up this with more postings.

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First the insult then the injury
The government-corporate-police response to workers’ pleas

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo never fails to gloat about economic gains though realities declare deprivation and repression of the people. October 10, the second day of workers’ protest fast, was a day of state brutality and insult against the working masses. Labor Secretary Brion did not fulfill his commitment to Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP), the union of Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co. rank and file employees, and ignored the petition letter by various worker organizations and leaders.

Over a hundred workers decided to continue their protest fast before the DOLE office but they were brutally dispersed by elements of Western Police District of the PNP. MKP president and Makabayan chairperson Pete Pinlac, Arturo Castillo and John Beato, first and second vice presidents of MKP, respectively and four others, including woman lawyer and wife of Pete Pinlac, Atty. Virginia Pinlac, a woman labor rights advocate, a member of MKP Legislative Council and a Makabayan national council member were arrested and tormented by policemen. Later in the evening, MKP and Makabayan members who proceeded to Western Police District Headquarters were again dispersed.

The MKP, supported by leaders and members of various labor federations and unions, were there before the Department of Labor and Employment office for the second day of their concerted action and to expect Sec. Brion’s fulfillment of his first day promise. Brion paid fleeting attention to the worker leaders whom he had let into DOLE office even as he arrogantly told them that he had to attend to the visiting Canadian attaché instead. His October 9 commitment to conduct the PLDT management and MKP meeting yesterday is moved to October 16!

The collusion of DOLE and PLDT management to deny the workers their right to concertedly redress grievances and to finally deliver them to the hands of the PNP echo the unjust termination by PLDT of 575 regular employees last September 15. The recent employee thrashings, on grounds of ‘redundancy’ add to the 484 employees who were summarily dismissed in 2002 in direct violation by PLDT management of the CBA and the Supreme Court decision calling for their reinstatement. Alas, no one has been re-admitted instead more have been dismissed on the same reason only the management determines but with backing from DOLE.

The workers were there before DOLE to protest the already long pervasive practice, especially by big firms like PLDT, of hiring contractual employees to replace regulars whom they tag as redundant. In many companies, contract employees already outnumber regulars and thus negate the workers’ right to job security, to unionize, to bargain collectively and to strike. Workers are also vehement at the unbridled use by DOLE of assumption of jurisdiction (AJ) over

labor-management disputes. This AJ policy of government in reality is a scheme for union-busting and a direct affront to workers’ right to strike.

The DOLE-PLDT-PNP assault on workers yesterday fans the fire and steels the resolve of the working masses to pursue their just cause.

Twenty-two (22) years ago this month the workers of La Tondeña trailed the blaze in breaking the ban on the right to strike and the general climate of repression under the Marcos dictatorship. Now the workers of PLDT, with those of other corporations, are surmounting every obstacle the government-corporate-police conspiracy is throwing their way. Their every struggle, every small and big victory inspires the next and every repression would temper their will to fight and would expose the anti-worker, anti-people, anti-national GMA regime which has withdrawn from all its pretensions to democracy and the rule of law.

This is the first time in so many years that workers expressed solidarity in fighting for the end to employment contractualization and the government policy of assumption of jurisdiction. This is the first time that workers, though short of a strike, showed unity of will in asserting their right to self-organization and the right to concerted action.

We shall return again and again to DOLE and before the gates of Malacañang. We shall wage our struggles in all work places; inside and outside the halls of congress and in the streets until justice is won. ###

Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN)
October 11, 2007

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LABAN NG MASA CONDEMNS VIOLENT DISPERSAL OF PLDT UNION PICKET
CALLS FOR INDIGNATION ACTIONS
AND SOLIDARITY AGAINST JOB CONTRACTUALIZATION

Laban ng Masa strongly condemns the violent dispersal of a picket
action staged by workers of PLDT in front of the Department of Labor &
Employment yesterday afternoon, October 10. Workers who were on a
fast in front of the DOLE office for the second day yesterday were
mauled by the police and hauled off to jail. One woman leader, Merzi
Florencia Chan, suffered a broken nose because of the beatings.

Some of the workers and supporters of the PLDT union who trooped to
the Western Police District to show solidarity were again dispersed by
the police last night.

Up to now, PLDT union president Pete Pinlac, union officers Arturo
Castillo and John Beato, union lawyer Virginia Pinlac and one more
supporter are still in jail. The WPD police slapped all of them with
charges of obstruction of peace and orderly traffic and violation of
Batas Pambansa 880, a law enacted during the martial law period under
then dictator Ferdinand Marcos. BP 880 prohibits the holding of
rallies without permit from local authorities, and was used by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to violently disperse rallies during
the height of protests against the "Hello Garci" scandal.

Laban ng Masa particularly assails the collusion of the PLDT
management, the DOLE, and the PNP police in attacking a peaceful
assembly of workers protesting the recent dismissal of 575 regular
PLDT employees, 450 of whom were women workers, September 15. The
dismissal was aimed at replacing regular jobs in PLDT with contractual
jobs which are non-unionized, are paid less and do not provide for any
regular benefits.

Laban ng Masa calls on all workers' and people's organizations to
protest the violent dispersal and to call for the immediate release of
detained PLDT leaders and supporters. We also throw our support to
the PLDT union's struggle against job contractualization and call on
other unions to form a solid labor front against this issue, against
the big companies that resort to this practice, and against the
government that allows this to happen through unjust laws and
repressive actions.

Laban ng Masa will join the protest picket today and the other mass
actions that will be launched by the PLDT workers to denounce the new
wave of brutality against workers.

October 11, 2007

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MEDIA ADVISORY
OCTOBER 14, 2007

Union Leaders Protest DOLE-PNP-PLDT Collusion, Allowing Contractualization and the Assumption of Jurisdiction Powers of the Secretary of Labor

Leaders of major labor federations, centers, coalitions and networks join together in an INDIGNATION PROTEST against the recent dispersal of hunger strikers last October 10, 2007. The DOLE-PLDT-PNP collusion allows contractualization and the indiscriminate use of the Assumption of Jurisdiction powers of the Secretary of Labor and Employment.

The protest action is scheduled on October 15, 2007 in front of the Office of the Secretary of Labor and Employment in Intramuros, Manila. Union leaders will converge at 9:00 a.m. at Plaza Roma.

The broad initiative, Manggagawa Laban sa Kontraktwalisasyon at Assumption Jurisdiction was spurred by the recent dismissal of 575 rank and file workers of PLDT, all of whom are Union members. The leaders view this as a job-killing exercise, a callous act by a company who earns an average annual profit of Php30 billion since 2004 and pays its executives and managers an average of Php 1,800,000 annually excluding an average of Php1.3 million one time bonus per year and other incentives.

They demand:
1. That the government stop this corporate terroristic acts of job killings and instead pursue a policy of job preservation consistent with the avowed job creation policy;
2. That the government respect the workers right to strike and engange in concerted actions by abolishing the policy of issuing assumption jurisdiction orders; and,
3. That all workers whose jobs were killed due to redundancies be returned to work or be found decent work and jobs.

Among the major labor groups, federations and centers part of the broad alliance are:

MKP - Manggagawa ng komunikasyon sa Pilipinas MEWA - Meralco Electric Workers UnionPALEA- PAL Employees AssociationDEU- Digitel Employees UnionUIF-NLM – Union Impresores de Filipinas – NLMUNI-PLC – Union Network International – Phil Liaison CommitteePEUP – Postal Employees Union of the PhilippinesNABU – National Association of Broadcast UnionADLO- Association of Democratic Labor OrganizationAGLO – Assocaitation of Genuine Labor OrganizationAFW – Alliance of Filipino WorkersMetro Bank Employees Union – ALUAIWA- Automotive Industry Workers AssociationAMBA-BALA Alyansa ng Manggagawa sa Bataan – Bataan Allliance of LaborAPL - Alliance Of Progressive LaborAWATU – All Workers Alliance of Trade UnionBMP - Bukluran ng Manggagawang PilipinoBMRCPI / NFL - Buklod ng Manggagawa sa RCPIKKKP – Kapisanan ng mga Kawani ng Koreo sa PilipinasKMM - Kapisanan ng Makabayang ManggagawaKPMP- Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawang PilipinoLAGMAN – Lakas at gabayan ng Manggagawang NagkakaisaLiga ng ManggagawaMAKABAYAN Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng BayanMELF- Metro East Labor Federation  NAFLU – National Federation of Labor UnionNATU – National Association of Trade UnionNLU- Naitonal Labor UnionNUBE – Nationa Union of Bank EmployeesNUWHRAIN – National union of Workers in Hotel and Restaurant IndustryPM – Partido ManggagawaPSSLU – Public Social Security Labor UnionSUPER – Solidarity of Union in the Philippines for Empowerment and ReformsUFSW – United Filipino Service WorkersDFLU- Duty Free Labor UnionWSN – Workers Solidarity Networks