AFTER completing three provincial wage consultations last month, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Northern Mindanao (RTWPB) is hopeful for the immediate deliberation of the P89 wage increase petition filed by the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) on July 16, 2014.
Lawyer Gretchen Lamayon, RTWPB-10 information officer, said the wage board has been doing its best to cap off remaining consultations in Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental by the end of September.
Lamayon, however, admitted to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that various reactions from the workers and employers sectors are obstacles needed to be overcome to come up with a fast resolution.
"So far, from the three provinces, some agreed with the increase. There were some who said it has to be reduced. And, of course, there were those who said P89 is too much," she said Tuesday.
Wage consultations have already been conducted in the provinces of Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon in August 2014.
Lamayon said the executive board of the RTWPB-10 needs more time to deliberate to produce an outcome that is favorable to all concerned sectors.
The wage board also has several considerations in deliberating the petition, which include the social economic conditions of the employers, she noted.
The labor union is optimistic the RTWPB will support the daily minimum wage increase petition even if results of the first round of deliberation have not been disclosed to the public yet.
If approved, the daily minimum wage in the region will become P395 for agricultural and non-agricultural workers.
The board discussions will be attended by the heads of the region's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), two representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), and two representatives from the private sector.
In a petition passed to RTWPB-10, the ALU-TUCP justified the requested increase as beneficial to the working population amid the increasing cost of standard of living.
"The P89 daily increase is essential if workers are to cope with the increasing prices of commodities and cost of living, if they are to meet the basic needs of their families, even if only partial, and if the country gives meaning and substance to the policy of equitable distribution of income and wealth. The increase, small as it is, has been overtaken by increases in power and water rates, in health and education costs, the prices of oil and its products, LPG, and basic goods and services," the petition read.
"Prices of goods and services in the following months are also expected to rise by at least 5 percent which would require an additional P21.42 adjustment in wages considering the increasing prices of goods and services especially power rates because of the current power shortage in Mindanao. Also, the daily take home pay of wage earners is lower due to legally mandated deductions such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig contributions and income tax," it added.
Wildon Barros, Kilusang Mayo Uno-northern Mindanao chairperson, told this paper that although they are pushing for the P125 minimum wage across the board since last year, they would also support ALU-TUCP's endeavor.
"We still want the RTWPB to say yes to this because it is for the benefit of our workers at the end of the day," Barros said by phone.
On May 15, 2013, the RTWPB-10 approved the latest P306 wage increase per day from P286 for the wage earners in northern Mindanao. - By Mario C. Manlupig Jr. SunStar
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Env’l groups, trade unionists join forces vs. lead-based paint
Marking the anniversary of a historic global convention, environmentalists and trade unionists joined forces for the protection of workers, children, and the general public against exposure to lead-based paint.
The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, and the EcoWaste Coalition forged the tie-up during the recent 91st anniversary of an International Labor Organization (ILO) convention banning the use of white lead in paint.
Convention C013, or the “White Lead (Painting) Convention,” is a historic act by the ILO during the time of the League of Nations (the precursor to the United Nations or UN), aiming to control lead levels in paint used in interior housing. It was enforced on Aug. 31, 1923.
It prohibits “the use of white lead and sulfate of lead and of all products containing these pigments, in the internal painting of buildings,” but makes it permissible “to use white pigments containing a maximum of two percent of lead.”
“ILO’s early recognition of the problem with toxic lead in paint was a commendable move indeed. Their effort resulted [in] a number of countries adopting restrictions on the lead content of paint. As [this anniversary] is quietly observed, we find it fitting to call for a review of the landmark agreement for it to be in step with the global consensus to eliminate lead paint that is being advanced by the UN-backed Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP),” EcoWaste Coalition coordinator Aileen Lucero said.
The World Health Organization and the UN Environment Program serve as joint Secretariat for the GAELP, whose purpose is “to prevent children’s exposure to lead via paint containing lead, and to minimize occupational exposures to lead in paint.”
Nagkaisa co-convenor Josua Mata urged the government to take the necessary action to gain the benefits of the review process initiated by the ILO’s governing board.
“It’s been over nine decades since C013 [came] into force, and lead poisoning via exposure to lead contaminated paint chips, dust, as well as products such as toys remains a huge threat for the health of children and workers in many countries,” ALU-TUCP Spokesman and Policy Advocacy Officer Allan Tanjusay said.
According to labor and environmental groups, C013 has to be updated to make it applicable to all lead pigments and dryers, ready-to-use paint, and exterior applications.
They also insisted that the two-percent limit — equivalent to 20,000 parts per million (ppm) — has to be radically lowered to mirror current knowledge of the health effects of lead exposure even at lower levels.
An updated C013 will be a boost to the recently promulgated “Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds” (CCO) issued by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources last December 2013, the groups said.
The CCO limits lead content in paints to 90 ppm, and establishes a three-year phase out period for leaded decorative paints (2013-2016), and a six-year phase out period for leaded industrial paints (2013-2019).
Seventy-six percent of the 803 paint samples from the Philippines and six other Asian countries contained lead at concentrations greater than 90 ppm, and would not be permitted for sale in most highly industrialized countries, according to data from the Asia Regional Paint Report published last March 2014 by the International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), with support from the European Union.
The report also revealed that at least a quarter of the 803 paint samples contained dangerously high lead levels of above 10,000 ppm. – by Chito A. Chavez / Manila Bulletin
Scrapping minimum wage to expose workers to abuse, virtualslavery—labor groups
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| AFP FILE PHOTO |
MANILA, Philippines—Labor groups in the country cautioned government policy makers on Tuesday against lifting the minimum wage requirement, saying that doing so would expose workers to abuse.
Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), said the minimum wage has been serving as the minimum standard to protect workers’ interests, and improve the quality of labor.
“If there is no minimum wage, workers will be very vulnerable to abuse and oppression,” said Tanjusay. “There has to be a standard such as the minimum wage. Otherwise, we will revert back to the age of slavery.”
Julius Cainglet, Federation of Free Workers (FFW)’s assistant vice president for Research, Communication, Networking and Project Development, on the other hand, said PIDS’ views were not new.
“The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have been saying that for years. The think tank’s research seems wanting as it failed to consider the real state of workers,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a text message.
“The minimum wage is but a meager social protection for workers. Present minimum wage rates in Metro Manila could not even cover half the required income needed to afford your family a decent life. Besides, the minimum wage is much smaller in the provinces where a lot of investors set up manufacturing plants,” he said.
“Abolishing the minimum wage would only work if workers have a voice, that is if the majority of them are unionized. We know how employers do everything to bust unions.
Without a minimum wage to bank on and a union to fight for their rights to just wages, benefits and better working conditions, the government is opening the floodgates for even more exploitation of workers. We will end up with workers receiving alms and getting employed for no more than five months,” added Cainglet.
The FFW official urged the government to instead look at improving the environment for doing business in the country, which would significantly impact the capacity of businesses to employ more workers and pay wages.
“What is pushing down employment is the high cost of doing business. For one, the country’s power rates are the highest in Asia. Add the fact that there are mounting fees, permits and impossible requirements when applying for a new business or renewing permits for the same. It is a nightmare in fact,” said Cainglet.
“The FFW believes that this is what curtails employment more and not the minimum wage. We would want to abolish the wage boards for the right reasons like for being insensitive to the needs of workers. But removing the minimum wage right now will only deprive workers even more of their just share in the country’s economic growth,” he added. - By Tina G. Santos |Philippine Daily Inquirer
Call center workers urged to form unions
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| AFP FILE PHOTO |
MANILA, Philippines—To protect their welfare as workers and to take advantage of the full benefits of their labor, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has urged young professionals particularly workers in the information technology sector to join or form unions.
“I encourage yuppies particularly those in call centers to join or create unions so they can have a voice in their work…,” said Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) in a statement.
Through unions, Seno said workers can “negotiate a contract like fair and safe workplace, better wages, a secure retirement or separation pay, family-oriented policies such as paid sick leave and other benefits.”
Because call center workers handle delicate jobs, Seno said they must be compensated substantially.
“Workers in the call center industry are also considered one of the most vulnerable workers because they work at night when their bodies are supposed to sleep,” he said.
“Customer service representatives, for example, interact mostly with stressful customers. So they should get more in terms of wages and benefits because of the precarious characteristics of their work. They can maximize what they can get through a union. And we have union organizers who will assist them in every step of the way,” he added.
According to him, “gone are the days when unions are perceived obstructionist.”
“Management today should look at forming unions as a way to promote productive workforce that provides better services and products. They should treat unions as a way of meeting the needs of their workforce in this modern age of flexible and non-traditional work environments,” he said.
TUCP said there are 1.04 million BPO workers in the Philippines as of September 2014.
Bill filed in Congress
In 2013, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a Magna Carta for Call Center Workers.
The bill seeks to enforce the rights of call center workers to organize unions to have safe and healthy working environments given the long hours they spend at their work stations.
Santiago expressed alarm over reports that business process outsourcing (BPO) companies discouraged labor organizations.
She cited health and occupational safety issues in BPO, adding that the Philippines cannot truly boast about its BPO industry to the world if it does not comply with the most basic of international labor standards. - Nestor Corrales |INQUIRER.net
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