Organized labor opposes MRT/LRT rate hike

The country’s biggest labor coalition Nagkaisa is adding its voice to the growing opposition to the impending rate hikes in the metro rail transport system.

Josua Mata, Secretary General of Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa or Sentro and one of the convenors of Nagkaisa likened the plan to a “wrecking ball” that will smash the train riders en masse come 2015.

“The rate of every crushing ride in MRT and LRT will be rising at a time rates in other PUVs are falling because of plummeting prices of oil. The timing is not just bad. The policy itself is very bad, it’s anti-labor,” said Mata.

Mata said labor groups under Nagkaisa will be meeting after Christmas to come up with protest plans against the fare hike.

Majority of the city’s train riders belong to the working class. They are the ones who suffer the daily violence of riding an beyond-capacity and poorly maintained railway system.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) likewise assailed the planned increase while workers wages stagnated to the barest minimum.

“We believe pulling money out of a worker’s pocket through a fare hike is an incentive to private concessionaires. We will gain nothing from it, not even improved services,” said FFW President Sonny Matula.

Another convenor, the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, bewailed the fare hike, saying it shows the government’s repeated blunders in running public utilities because of over-reliance to private concessionaires.

“Again, this is another example of PNoy leading from the back. Over reliance on Cabinet Secretary Abaya who not only doesn’t get, but is nowhere to be seen and heard. Result: over reliance on a greedy, socially irresponsible private sector concessionaire. Same thing in power: no policy leadership, ergo emergency powers request by another lackey in the person of Petilla who is letting the private power sector dictate supply policy. We are at the not so tender mercy of a government that does not have regulatory balls,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of ALU-TUCP.

On his part, Partido Manggagawa (PM) spokesman Wilson Fortaleza argued that the government should rather increase, not remove, the subsidies being enjoyed by train riders and at the same time put more money in developing the country’s deteriorating mass transport system.

“To us, subsidizing at least 500 million rides of workers a year is more productive than subsidizing the comfortable travel of 500 VIPs in government,” said Fortaleza, adding that all taxpayers pay for at least P8-billion a year of travel subsidy for our public officials.

In 2012, some 219 million rides were recorded in MRT-3, with an average 600,000 daily passengers. LRT 1 and 2 have 241 million combined.

Solons, labor split on 4-day work week

LAWMAKERS and three labor groups on Monday were divided on the four-day work week scheme for government employees in Metro Manila to address the worsening traffic situation there.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said the plan could save energy and ease traffic in the metropolis, but the group Kilusang Mayo Uno said it would be bad for the workers.

The Partido ng Manggagawa said it had no problems with the plan as long as the workers’ rights were protected, while the Metro Manila Development Authority had earlier welcomed it.

The Civil Service Commission had said the government offices in Metro Manila could implement a Monday-to-Thursday or a Tuesday-to-Friday work schedule, from eight am to 7 pm, with an hour off for the lunch break.

The commission said the plan could be implemented next week, but the government offices must meet some requirements before those could implement the new scheme.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the Civil Service Commission’s optional policy for government offices would be counter-productive.

“I am not in favor it,” Belmonte said.

He said the government should be able to find a solution to the worsening traffic situation without public service being made to suffer.

Barzaga agreed.

“I do not agree with the four day a week work. Public service would suffer,” Barzaga said.

Instead, he said, “I suggest we ban private vehicles at Edsa during rush hours.”

But Quezon City Rep. Bolet Banal and Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz said the four-day work week should be given a chance.

“This is an experiment. It will help us not only with the traffic but also as a guide on the performance and efficiency of government workers,” De la Cruz said.

Said Banal: “As it is, it seems that five days is not enough, but let us hear the proponents out and give them a chance to prove that the proposed four-day work week can alleviate the traffic woes of the metropolis.”

1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello III said the shortened number of days for government employees should not affect in any way the quality of service that government offices should be providing to the public.

“Somebody will have to assure the public that this will ease traffic but not at the expense of public service,” Bello said.

The TUCP said the employers should first consult their workers before implementing the four-day plan. It said the four-day work week had advantages and disadvantages, but it could not be implemented in some industries or sectors.

The KMU said increasing the work hours to 11 from eight would affect the workers’ health and violate their rights. It also raised the dangers the plan would pose to those workers who are paid on a daily basis and subject to the no work, no pay policy.

“Workers fought for the right to an eight-hour work day to protect their health. The four-day work week is a direct attack on this hard-won victory of the international works’ movement and shows how anti-worker this government is,” group chairman Elmer Labog said. - By Maricel Cruz, Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano /  Manila Standard Today

4-day work week draws mixed views

FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK – A Manila City Hall employee checks his daily time record card on September 29, morning. The Civil Service Commission earlier approved a four-day work week which government offices in Metro Manila can implement in a bid to address worsening traffic congestion. (Valeria Sorrenti)[/caption]

A proposal from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to implement a four-day work week in government offices to allow their employees to cope with the heavy traffic in Metro Manila has drawn mixed reaction from labor groups in the private sector.

The militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) opposed the policy, saying it could significantly reduce the income of workers who are paid on a “no work, no pay” basis.

However, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it supports the shortened work-week since it will allow government employees to “save energy and ease traffic congestion” in the National Capital Region (NCR).

“The four-day work week is a direct attack on this hard-won victory of the international workers’ movement and shows how anti-worker this government is,” KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog said.

Labog said this could also have a negative impact on the health of workers since they will be required to work for more than eight hours.

Under the compressed work week, government offices will allow their employees to work for only four days a week in exchange for slightly longer working hours.

Labog also expressed apprehension the proposal may also pave the way towards its adoption in the private sector, where it could be abused by some unscrupulous employer to cut labor costs.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay, however, said the affected worker should be consulted before the government implements the four-day work week to ensure it will not affect their existing benefits.

TUCP also said the measure should be implemented on a limited scale since it is not applicable in “some industries or sectors.” - by Samuel Medenilla Manila Bulletin

TUCP conditionally supports 4-day work week scheme

The four-day work week is believed to ease traffic congestion in the metro

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) on Monday expressed support to the plan of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) allowing government agencies to implement a four-day work week scheme.

The group, however, pointed out that there would be no diminution of salary and reduction of benefits and public sector workers’ are consulted first they should ever adopt it.

“There are pros and cons to the compressed work week scheme aimed at saving electricity, reducing traffic congestion and minimizing stress of workers. So consultations and social dialogue with public sector worker (are an) important factor before implementing the scheme to know the sentiments of the workers,” TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

“The four-day work week should not affect salary and benefits of workers. This is non-negotiable of course,” Tanjusay added.

He noted that health of workers working for 10 hours a day is one of the adverse effects of the scheme to government employees, compromising the quality of service.

Tanjusay said the new work scheme may also affect both their health and their productivity due to stress caused by going home late at night and waking up early.

On the other hand, the scheme may motivate workers to be more productive because of an extra quality day with family, friends or an activity away from work.

The scheme may also cut commuting expenses and allows people to do errands they are unable to do during regular work days, Tanjusay said.

He said the scheme can reduce energy consumption and help ease traffic congestion by minimizing the volume of working people. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

TUCP to employers: Impose flexi-time, flexi-work schemes

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Tuesday called on private and government agencies to adopt interim measures, such as implementing a flexi-time and flexi-work schemes, to maintain productivity of their workers.

TUCP also suggested that employers take the initiative to adjust their internal tardiness rules.

The group came up with the proposals as more workers' productivity has been affected by the daily traffic jams and deteriorating mass transport system in the metropolis.

TUCP also encouraged employers to employ a compressed four-day work week after consulting with their employees without cutting wages.

"Workers are making sacrificial adjustments already. They are waking up early and arriving home late. They are exposed to all kinds of pollution, stand in long queues, snugged in crowded MRT and LRT trains. And recently we are all victims of massive urban flooding. All these makes metro workers stressed upon arriving at their workplaces eventually affecting the quality output of workers in one way or the other. The need for flexible work arrangement acceptable to the workers and their employers,”TUCP-Nagkaisa Spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

On the part of the government, Tanjusay said it must improve the environment by giving tax incentives to employers that would adopt the stress-minimizing and time-saving measures.

It can, in the meantime, also use its entire fleet of service vehicles including those in the government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions in providing shuttle and carpooling for private and public sector workers.

He said it is also possible for companies in the export processing zones to construct mass housing for their workers within or near their plants and factories for employees to cut travel time. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Encourage companies to ease stress of commuting to work—TUCP

As Metro Manila continues to suffer from horrendous traffic and congested mass transport, the country’s largest labor group called on the government yesterday to provide tax incentives to companies which implement “time-saving” measures for their commuting employees.

In a statement, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said this will encourage the private sector to adopt schemes to ease the stress of employees from daily commuting woes which has now become the “new normal.”

“The new normal is already happening. Workers are making sacrificial adjustments already. They are waking up early, arrive home late,” Tanjusay said.

He said daily stress of commuting would have a negative impact on the productivity of companies in the long run.

TUCP said one of proposed options for companies to maintain the efficiency of their operation is a flexible time scheme which will allow workers to complete their regular eight-hour duty depending on the time of their arrival at their workplace.

It also said some companies could practice a compressed work week to allow employees to work for only four days a week with slightly longer working hours.

Tanjusay said companies could also explore the possibility of temporarily relaxing their “internal tardiness rules” and provide common shuttle or car pool services to workers.

“Employers would adopt the stress-minimizing and time-saving measures by giving them tax incentives,” Tanjusay said.

Aside from the tax deductions, the government could tap fleet service vehicles from government-owned and controlled corporations and financial institutions to provide similar car pooling services to private and government employees, he said. - by Samuel Medenilla / Manila Bulletin

TUCP suggests ways to deal with traffic woes

Traffic jams in Metro Manila have resulted in substantial losses in manhours--that means the productive hours of workers. A workers group has some suggestions on how companies can deal with that problem. This report by AC Nicholls aired on 9TV Network News on September 18, 2014.

TUCP tells Aquino: Lead from the front

THE largest labor organization in the country, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), on Monday called on President Benigno Aquino 3rd to “lead from the front” and convene a “national summit for a jobs program” and a “national summit on power, water and public transport.”

“The TUCP believes that all sectors of society will rally behind the President once he takes the cudgels for the real issues that plague the country today: unemployment, the power crisis, the impending water crisis and the public transport breakdown,” TUCP Executive Director Luis Corral said.

According to him, “(t)he Left and their outworn ideological prescriptions are now outwearing the welcome and tolerance of those who simply want investments that create decent jobs and arguably the governance reforms of Aquino are creating such a window of opportunity.”

“In the same vein, there are those presuming to speak for the basic social sectors in advancing a narrative of succession in 2015, (with one) painting a false picture of the administration and the other is doing a disservice to the nation in distracting the President from the real problems he has to address in the last two years of his administration,” Corral said.

He added that Aquino’s “failure to take up these real problems, not the elite discourse on 2015 succession, will be the prelude to an economic meltdown and collapse of his social contract” with the people,” he added.

The TUCP pointed out that a recent Social Weather Stations survey on joblessness and the static 7.1 percent unemployment rate represent the true picture of how far economic inclusiveness still has to go, that the power crisis is having a chilling effect on locators and investors and may lead to a new round of job retrenchments.

It said even as clogged ports have led to some 20,000 workers being laid off, ordinary workers risk death and amputation everyday as they take the dilapidated Metro Rail Transit 3 train system daily.

Meanwhile, the TUCP accused the government of playing deaf to cries of the National Water and Resources Board that El Nino threatens the country’s water supply for drinking purposes, agricultural use and electricity generation.

TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said the President is badly served by high officials preparing their golden parachutes or warming their chairs preparing for future electoral campaigns. - JING VILLAMENTE / Manila Times

TUCP: Real issues must be addressed

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines yesterday asked President Aquino to “lead from the front” and convene a national summit for a jobs program, on power, on water, and on public transport.

TUCP executive director Luis Corral said his group believes all sectors of society will rally behind Aquino if he addresses the “real issues” of unemployment, power crisis, impending water crisis, and “public transport breakdown.”

“It is the President who has a mandate. He has only to convene all groups so that they–and not the proxy poor, the proxy peasant and the proxy marginalized–can speak for themselves,” he said.

He said the leftist groups “and their outworn ideological prescriptions are now outwearing the welcome and tolerance of those who simply want investments that create decent jobs.”

“In the same vein there are those presuming to speak for the basic social sectors in advancing a narrative of succession in 2015,” Corral said.

Corral said the TUCP is appealing to Aquino not to be distracted.

“The divergence of political and economic goals heard from the left, the right and all points in between in the last few days shows that there are a mixed bag of opportunists, pretenders, and political engineers who are on the one hand trying to lead the country from behind and on the other hand, perennial ideological nitpickers trying to derail the political and economic gains of the last four years,” he said.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said a national summit on jobs and consumer issues will catalyze the silent majority who placed their trust in an Aquino presidency.

He said “assigning blame and politicking” are not what the silent majority is concerned about.

Corral said consultations on power ordered by the President in his state of the nation address last July have not brought ordinary consumers and workers on board.

“It appears to be a discourse of various Makati interest groups, who are elbowing each other out to promote their preferred gas turbines, power barges or interruptible load programs (ILP). It is again, and wrongly so, about how much will one group earns and what kind of price Juan dela Cruz will end up paying for both as taxpayer and consumer,” said Corral. - Malaya

National summit on unemployment, power pushed

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines – President Aquino was asked yesterday to call a national summit to resolve problems on unemployment, power, water and the breakdown of the public transport system.

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) executive director Luis Corral said Aquino must lead a national summit to draw up plans to promote job creation and ensure affordable power.

“The President should let the poor speak for themselves,” he said. “The fate of the water and rapid transport programs should not be allowed to follow that of the power sector.”

Corral said all sectors must rally behind Aquino when he takes up the cudgels on these issues besetting the nation today.

“Failure to take up these real problems, not the elite discourse on 2016 succession, will be the prelude to an economic meltdown and collapse of his social contract with the Filipino people,” he said.

TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said a national summit on jobs and consumer issues will catalyze the silent majority who placed their trust in the Aquino presidency.

“The current discourse of assigning blame and politicking on the one hand, and the redemptive forecasting by others for 2016 on the other hand, is not what the silent majority is concerned about,” he said.

“The act of governance is, by its nature, fraught with risk, a party can be turned out of power or validated with a new majority. Also, governance is not about redeeming souls, it is about the governance mechanisms that create policies that provide higher salaries for government workers, for roads that close the distance for goods to reach their markets, and making education and healthcare accessible. It is about who will work, in what kind of job, with what kind of compensation and under what kind of conditions.”

Corral said Aquino must convene all groups so they can speak for themselves.

“Instead of being soothed by the siren call of the proxy poor and the substitute proletariat on the relative merits of charity work, Aquino should get down to the task at hand, creating decent jobs and squelching the deficit in power, water and mass transport,” he said.

Corral said the Left and their “outworn ideological prescriptions” are now outwearing the welcome and tolerance of people wanting investments to create jobs and for the governance reforms of Aquino to create “a window of opportunity.”

Some people are painting a false picture of the administration and others are distracting Aquino from the real problems he has to face in the last two years of his administration, he added. – With Mayen Jaymalin - Philstar

Group urges Aquino to address problems via national summit

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Sunday called on President Aquino to take the lead in addressing the problems besetting the country by convening a “national summit for jobs program” and a “national summit on power, water and public transport” to rally the support of the people.

“The TUCP believes that all sectors of society will rally behind the President once he takes the cudgels for the real issues that plague the country today: unemployment, the power crisis, the impending water crisis and the public-transport breakdown,” TUCP Executive Director Luis Corral said in a statement.

The TUCP appeals to Mr. Aquino not to be distracted by the political noise and get down to the task at hand of creating decent jobs and addressing power, water and mass-transport problems.

“It is the President who has a mandate. He has only to convene all groups so that they—and not the proxy poor, the proxy peasant and the proxy marginalized—can speak for themselves. Currently, the jobless see themselves as without hope. And ordinary consumers see apathy from government as the days without power, without water and rolling coffin trains creep upon them,” Corral stressed.

He said even as the clogged ports has led to some 20,000 workers both in the forward and backward supply chain being laid off, ordinary workers risk death and amputation everyday as they take the dilapidated trains daily.

On the other hand, the National Water and Resources Board is playing deaf, even as the El Niño Phenomenon threatens water supply for drinking purposes, agricultural use and electricity generation, he added.

“These are the problems where we need the President to inspire us, to rally us toward collective solutions, especially where collective sacrifice is needed. The political noise of naysayers and the gimmickry of apologists is not a substitute for presidential leadership,” TUCP Spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.

“Let us focus on the task at hand, and have the President convene and lead summits to address job creations so that workers can feed their families; a summit to ensure reliable and affordable power so that industries can grow, reliable water so that we can live lives with some dignity and mass transport that unclogs our roads and delivers both people and goods safely to their destinations.”

TUCP insisted that a national summit on jobs and also on consumer issues will catalyze the silent majority, who placed their trust in an Aquino presidency. - Jonathan L. Mayuga /Business Mirror

President urged to convene summit on water crisis

The country’s largest labor group urged President Aquino to convene a National Summit, which will discuss solutions for national economic problems, particularly the imminent water shortage next summer.

In a statement, Trade Union Congress of Philippines (TUCP) Executive Director Luis Corral said other issues which should also be included in the proposed meeting would be the looming power shortage, public transportation woes, and the still significantly high unemployment rate in the country.

“Aquino should get down to the task at hand, creating decent jobs and squelching the deficit in power, water and mass transport,” Corral said.

TUCP issued the statement yesterday amid the apparent lack of government preparation for the imminent calamity.

“The high officialdom is playing deaf to the cries of the National Water and Resources Board (NWRB) that El Niño threatens our water supply for drinking purposes, agricultural use and electricity generation,” TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

Water concessionaires earlier warned they may resort to water rationing by next year as the levels in the Angat, which supplies the water in Metro Manila, is expected to further decline with the onset of the El Niño weather phenomenon before the end of 2014.

“The TUCP believes that all sectors of society will rally behind the President once he takes the cudgels for the real issues that plague the country today,” he said.

Corral said the proposed summit would yield better recommendations compared to some of his advisers from the organization, which are “proxy poor, the proxy peasant and the proxy marginalized” as well as those, who want to “lead the country from behind.”

“We appeal to the President not to be distracted by those who wish to waylay economic gains and not to be hijacked by those who wish to take advantage of him when too much of his political capital is being wasted in the legal equivalent of saloon brawls,” Corral said. - Manila Bulletin / Yahoo

Labor group kay Abaya: Mag-sorry ka sa MRT passengers

Ni Ellaine Dorothy S. Cal at Jean Fernando / Balita.net.ph

Hinamon ng Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) si Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) Secretary Emilio Abaya na humingi ng dispensa sa mga biktima nang bumangga sa barrier ang tren ng Metro Rail Transit (MRT) sa Pasay-Taft station.

“We condemn the irresponsible statements made by Transportation and Communication Secretary Abaya,’ pahayag ni Alan Tanjusay, tagapagsalita ng Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Tinukoy ni Tanjusay ang sinabi ni Abaya sa panayam sa radyo na hindi sapilitan ang pagsakay sa MRT.

“It is a personal decision. I won’t go out of my way to convince the people to ride. Kanya-kanyang desisyon naman ‘yan. Malayang bansa naman ito,” naging pahayag ni Abaya sa radio interview.

Itinuring ng TUCP ang pahayag ni Abaya na “iresponsable” kaugnay sa naganap na aksidente kung saan 36 pasahero ang nasugatan.

“What are you transportation and communication secretary for, Mr. Abaya? Such disrespect is an affront to thousands of working people who have no other choice but to ride in the MRT to and from work. Such statement is a slap-on-face of all the victims of the unfortunate mishap which happened days ago,” ayon kay Tanjusay.

Aniya, ipinahihiwatig umano ni Abaya na malayang makasasakay sa ibang pampublikong sasakyan ang mga biyehero kung nangangamba sila sa kanilang kaligtasan.

Itinuring ni Tanjusay ang iniasta ni Abaya bilang insulto sa daan libong nagsisiksikan sa MRT araw-araw.

“Mr. Secretary, did you or are you, as the man in charge of the mass transportation in the country and as a public servant, gave the public, the MRT riders a choice? Kung meron bang ibang matinong mass transport na nagawa mo na bilang DOTC secretary, palagay mo pipila pa ba sila at sasakay pa ba sila sa delikado, siksikan, mabaho at peligrosong MRT train?” tanong ni Tanjusay.

Samantala, posibleng maharap sa kasong kriminal ang control center supervisor ng MRT 3 matapos makapagbigay ng kani-kanilang salaysay ang dalawang train operator hinggil sa insidente.

Ayon kay Chief Supt. Angelito de Juan, hepe ng Pasay City Police-Investigation Unit, pinadalhan na nila ng liham si Joey Diokno, control center supervisor ng MRT 3, upang magbigay linaw sa trahedya.

“Halos parehas ang ibinigay na statement ng dalawang operators kung paano ang kanilang gagawin na itoy base sa kautusan ni Diokno bago maganap ang insidente,” pahayag ni De Juan.

Pahayag ni Abaya sa MRT riders kinondena ng TUCP

KINONDENA ng Trade Union Congress of the Philippines ( TUCP), pinakamalaking labor group sa bansa, ang pahayag ni Communication Secretary Emilio Abaya ukol sa mga biktima ng aksidente ng MRT.

“We condemn the irresponsible statements made by Transportation and Communication Secretary Abaya over an interview with Radyo Inquirer the other day. He said that “riding (MRT) is a personal decision. I won’t go out of my way to convince the people to ride. Kanya-kanyang desisyon naman ’yan. Malayang bansa naman ito,” sabi ni TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

“What are you transportation and communication secretary for, Mr. Abaya? Such disrespect is an affront to thousands of working people who have no other choice but to ride in the MRT to and from work. Such statement is a slap-on-face of all the victims of the unfortunate mishap which happened days ago. In effect the secretary of transportation is telling the MRT victims: “Mag-sorry kayo sa sarili n’yo kung nabalian kayo o nalamog ka matapos tumilapon ang sinasakyan ninyong tren, malaya ka at choice mo yang sumakay ng MRT. Huwag mong sisihin ang gobyerno,” aniya.

Imbes na tiyakin ang kaligtasan, sinabi ni Tanjusay taliwas ang pahayag ni Abaya at nakaiinsulto sa libu-libong MRT rider na dahil sa wala silang mapagpipilian, kailangang pumila sila halos kilometrong pilahan at pagtiisan ang pulusyon upang makabili ng tiket para makarating sa kanilang paroroonan o pinapasukang trabaho.

“Mr. Secretary, did you or are you, as the man in charge of the mass transportation in the country and as a public servant, gave the public, the MRT riders a choice? Kung meron bang ibang matinong mass transport na nagawa mo na bilang DOTC secretary, palagay mo pipila pa ba sila at sasakay pa ba sila sa delikado, siksikan, mabaho at peligrosong MRT train? Obviously none. We, therefore, in behalf of the millions of riding Filipino public, demand that Mr. Abaya retract these statements and apologize in public,” Tanjusay said. - Jun Icban Legaspi/ Journal Online