Labor groups push for ‘just transition’ in March for Climate Justice

Echoing the view of global trade unions that a shift to lower carbon economy is not just necessary but inevitable to address the worsening climate crisis, the coalition of labor groups Nagkaisa marched with multisectoral groups in the March for Climate Justice held in Quezon City this morning.

The group denounces corporate greed for spawning both a humanitarian and environmental crisis as manifested in the intensification of exploitative working conditions and the acceleration of climate change.

“When corporations rule under the framework of unlimited greed, workers endure the worst kind of exploitation. And when climate crisis worsened as tons of carbon are emitted into the atmosphere by oil and energy companies, mining and other hard industries, everyone suffers the brunt most particularly the poor people living in most vulnerable countries like the Philippines,” said Nagkaisa in a statement.

The group pointed out that while the country is less in carbon emission, her position of vulnerability can generate a powerful voice for demanding climate justice during negotiations.

“Unfortunately our government tailgated weakly behind the US position of simply having Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) process instead of playing hardball in pressing a return to binding cuts based on science and common but differential responsibility and which will limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” lamented Nagkaisa.

The group said that even with INDC process and actual submissions, the UNEP still anticipates a 4-6 degrees Celsius, rendering the COP ineffective.

Workers were also apprehensive of the fact that while governments are active in climate negotiations, the next one in Paris next week, most of them didn’t have a clear framework on how to fine-tune this transition to lower carbon economy in a manner acceptable to the people.

Nagkaisa is pushing the framework for a ‘just transition’ which promotes social justice and employment, requires active government intervention, and demands proportionate responsibility from all stakeholders, including business.

“The Philippines, for instance, has not explicitly declared a timeline to when fossil-fuelled power plants are finally phased out so that the transition is clearly plotted in favour of renewable energy and the creation of climate jobs,” the group said.

The coalition believes further that thousands of climate jobs can be created in the country in the shift to renewable energy, disaster response and building climate resilient communities that includes resettlement in climate-proof buildings and housing projects, as well as the greening of mass transport system.

“Funding is main requirement for this shift. In climate negotiations, the rich industrial nations must be made responsible in funding the transition of most vulnerable nations,” the group added.

Meanwhile, Nagkaisa said transition policies should not, in any way, transgress into the framework of decent work since regular job and social security help build the resiliency of many people against the wrath of Mother Nature.

After 4 years: TUCP elects new officials

CEBU, Philippines - After four years, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, the country’s biggest labor center, has finally conducted an election of its new set of officials.

This after the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals to have TUCP elect its new set of officials and end the four-year impasse in its leadership.

Atty. Raymond Democrito Mendoza of the powerhouse Associated Labor Unions was elected as the acting president of TUCP. Also elected as the acting general secretary of TUCP was labor lawyer Atty. Arnel Dolendo of the Philippine Trade and General Workers’ Organization.

Veteran public sector representative Esperanza Ocampo, president of the Philippine Government and Employees Association, was elected as acting treasurer.

“The TUCP General Council elected hold-over officers in ‘acting’ capacity in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling affirming the Court of Appeals decision in the TUCP leadership issue,” said Mendoza in a statement.

Mendoza said the CA laid down the sequence they are following in order to ensure that they may now have a unified and legally recognized leadership.

“We need this so that the Filipino workers’ voice can be heard through a unified labor umbrella,” he said.

Mendoza explained that they have to elect an acting president since the late Senator Ernesto Herrera held the position only in an acting capacity. The CA decision requires that as acting president, Senator Herrera would have to convene the General Council to elect an acting General Secretary and thereafter, said General Council will have to set a convention to elect the regular officers of the TUCP.

“With the death of Sen. Herrera, the second phase of electing an Acting General Secretary and setting a convention could not be carried out. We are simply complying with the order of the Courts,” said Dolendo in the same statement.

The TUCP General Council, serving as the highest governing body after complying with the court orders and the Constitution and By-Laws has sent notices to the 28 labor/federation affiliates of the TUCP being the organic members of the of the labor center.

The council has set December 14, TUCP’s founding anniversary, as a tentative schedule for the general convention to elect its regular officials. Ocampo said all 27 bonafide member-federations of the TUCP were invited during the election and will also be invited to the convention. By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/NSA (FREEMAN)

Labor hits plan to hide homeless

THE country’s largest coalition of labor unions blasted the government Tuesday for trying to hide the homeless during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this month in Manila, prompting another denial from the Palace that the P4,000 given to each poor family was aimed at getting them out of the city during the event.

“The expanded or modified CCT [conditional cash trasfer] is part of a government program to promote poverty reduction and social development of the poorest of the poor in the country,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. The recent P4,000 dole, he added, was part of that program.

But Wilson Fortaleza, spokesman for Partido Manggagawa, one of 49 labor organizations belonging to Nagkaisa, said the government had hidden away the homeless before, during the papal visit in January, when it took them off the streets and booked them in a resort for the duration of the pope’s stay.

On Saturday, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said the department’s project for the street families during Apec was a way of “reaching out” to the poor.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, however, said Soliman was planning to hid them again in resorts.

Ridon had earlier asked the DSWD if it would repeat its “vanishing act” on the homeless.

In response to Ridon, DSWD budget sponsor Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora said that the department could not commit to stopping the outings, since the modified CCT was still ongoing.

She added that such activities had been going on, even after the pope’s visit.

“I take that to mean, then, that the DSWD will be repeating this deplorable vanishing act during the Apec summit?” Ridon retorted.

Zamora replied: “The DSWD will continue with the [program] even during the Apec summit, because it is the mandate of the DSWD.”

DSWD has asked Congress for a P62.6-billion budget for the conditional cash transfer program for 2016.

“Today, DSWD not only confirmed that the policy of hiding poor families has continued, but that they will repeat this act come November. This, ladies and gentlemen, is your shameless government that continues to resort to sweeping the escalating poverty... under the rug,” Ridon said.

Vice presidential candidate and Senator Francis Escudero hit the government for its double standard in dealing with the homeless.

He said there was something “severely wrong” when the government could move swiftly to give street dwellers in Manila financial assistance to relocate because they were “eyesores,” while leaving more than 200,000 families who survived Typhoon “Yolanda” two years ago languishing in temporary shelters.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo earlier blasted the government for its plan to conceal the homeless during the Apec summit by giving them money to be used for renting temporary homes from Nov. 15 to 20.

Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte defended the DSWD, saying this was part of the government’s program to give homeless families “dignified living quarters,” and not because of Apec.

United Nationalist Alliance spokesman Mon Ilagan branded as “shameful” the government’s clearing of Metro Manila streets of homeless people.

He said “window dressing” poverty remains as the biggest moral scandal of the government.

“Why do you have to hide them? To cover up the inefficiencies of this government?” he also asked.

“The administration is ashamed of the poor but what’s more embarrassing is that after five years the numbers on poverty and hunger have worsened,” he added.

He said the “band-aid” solutions implemented by the administration have failed to address poverty. by Sandy Araneta With Macon Ramos Araneta / The Standard

20 million contractuals in govt, private sectors

The country’s biggest coalition of labor groups on Tuesday said labor contractualization brought up by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the other day was “extremely condemnable,” citing 20 million who have fallen victim to the malpractice.

The coalition Nagkaisa’s Sonny Matula, a lawyer, said the “5-5-5” labor contract was already declared illegal by the Supreme Court in the case of Purefoods vs National Labor Relations Commission in 1997.

“[But it] is still rampant today and it seems that the [Aquino] administration is helpless to curb it,” Matula added.

According to the Nagkaisa, an association of 49 progressive labor unions and federations headed by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), there are about 20 million contractual workers in the government and private sectors as of September of this year out of over 41 million salaried workers/employees in the country.

On Monday, Marcos described contractualization as “oppressive,” saying there is one contractual worker for every three rank-and-file employees among the country’s entire workforce who is underpaid and barred from receiving additional financial benefits on top of his basic pay.

Matula, president of Federation of Free Workers, said the “5-5-5”

practice is a blatant disregard of employment security as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Under the practice, a worker is replaced by another also under a five-month contract.

A six month’s employment makes it mandatory for an employer to make an employee a regular one.

According to Leody de Guzman, president of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, the concept of contractualization has prevented workers from joining labor unions and pushing collective bargaining agreements.

Mark Tanjusay, spokesman for the TUCP-Nagkaisa, said contractualization also prevents workers from benefiting from the country’s “growing economy.”

Tanjusay added that they have been urging Congress to pass the proposed Security of Tenure Act to assure that 90 percent of workers in every business establishment in the country are employed as regulars, while only 10 percent are contractuals. - by NELSON S. BADILLA, REPORTER The Manila Times