TUCP on May 1, 2020: Workers Unite, Let us build back better, build a decent and more equitable society.

#LaborDay #MayDay2020

𝐿𝐴𝐵𝑂𝑅 𝐷𝐴𝑌 𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑇𝐸𝑀𝐸𝑁𝑇

“Isang mapagpalayang pagbati sa dakilang araw nating mga obrero!”

𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.
But in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, workers and their families are the first victims. The socio-economic inequalities that workers and their families have to suffer daily, have been magnified a thousand-fold. Living in communities that are less than decent, eating food that is less than nourishing, hoping against hope that the public healthcare system will be strengthened just in time, and surviving on cash handouts that are less than fair.

For millions of workers under 'no work, no pay' arrangements and those who are at the mercy of contractual arrangements without security of tenure, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗-𝟭𝟵, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗮𝘆.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 - these are our healthcare workers, our frontline public sector workers, our workers in essential businesses such as banks, groceries and pharmacies, delivery services, security guards, janitors, garbage collectors, and all workers who despite the threat of starvation sacrificed for the fight against COVID-19.

The challenge that we face today is how to collectively shape a world that treats its workers fairly by building back better.

Workers have always been at the forefront of change, and we must ask ourselves what our society should look like after this. The ones who keep the world running are the minimum wage earners and healthcare workers who do backbreaking work but are not given secure jobs, and are left to toil and survive below the poverty line.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 as the world can so easily close its doors to our workers overseas. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, when we have also been forced to close our doors to the rest of the world. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁.

TUCP envisions the New Normal as a society where workers rights are protected, government addresses workers needs and prioritizes it first and foremost, and the generation of capital and profit-taking by the elites no longer constitutes the bottom line.

𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻.
So, today we call on government to place the health and safety of workers first. Partner with workers as we craft comprehensive guidelines that will allow us back to safe workplaces. For workers still in lockdown, augment and extend the DOLE wage support programs for formal sector workers and the social amelioration programs for our Overseas Filipino Workers and the Informal sector. That is only just, because they built the wealth that only the few in our society enjoy.

Today, we call on all workers to unite, let us build back better, let us build a decent and more equitable society for all workers. - TUCP Labor Center