A labor group has urged senators and congressmen, including guests not to make the State of the Nation Address (SONA) occasion a fashion show venue; it suggested a simple, formal and acceptable wear.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) observed that SONA for many years, has become a fashion event for legislators, their spouses and families.
President Benigno Aquino III will deliver his last SONA on Monday, July 27, at the Batasan complex in Quezon city.
“First of all, the SONA is not a fashion show. Second, working people feel it is illogical and unethical for our lawmakers to parade in the halls of congress wearing costly, extravagant clothes during the SONA when millions of their constituent Filipinos are languishing in hunger and poverty,” Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions said.
He said senators and members of the House of the Representatives should lead lives of simplicity and modesty as representatives of the people’s plight and aspiration.
For his part, TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said there should be a committee at both Houses that sets an internal rules teaching our lawmakers the simple way to dress and putting a cap on the cost of clothes they wear during SONA and during sessions.
“The focus of the SONA is the state of well-being of tax-paying Filipino people not the expensive clothes our solons are wearing. The essence of the gathering is not to showcase their brand new and top of the line SUVs. The center of the SONA is the people, the ordinary working people who will listen to the report of the president and validate his direction for the incoming year,” Tanjusay said.
He said the budget of P700 per head for snacks and dinner for the day is too expensive. Rather, the budget should not exceed P481 pesos the highest current amount of daily minimum wage in Metro Manila. - By Vito Barcelo / Manila Standard Today
Friday, July 24, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Labor group pushes for P92 wage increase in Central Visayas
The proposed wage hike is 'too high,' says the head of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 'Let us not kill each other. Let us survive together.'
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Associated Labor Union (ALU) is pushing for a P92 across-the-board wage increase for workers in Central Visayas, but the business sector thinks the amount is too much.
In its proposal submitted to the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB-VII) onTuesday, July 21, the labor group said the increase is needed even though the prices of petroleum has significantly dropped.
The commodities and the cost of living, however, did not drop like the petroleum prices, according to Art Barrit of the ALU.
Other labor groups have asked for a higher across-the-board wage increase. On July 13, the Cebu Labor Coalition and the Alliance of Progressive Labor sought a P140 across-the-board wage increase for the region.
All labor groups agree that the Central Visayas' minimum wage – P340 – is lower compared to that of the National Capital Region.
The regional wage board will hold a meeting on July 31 to discuss the proposals.
In an interview with dyLA-AM, a radio station operated by the ALU-TUCP, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Maria Teresa Chan said both proposals are too high.
Based on an inflation rate of 3-4%, the increase should only be between P13.6 and P15, she said.
An amount higher than that would hurt the industry, she added. “Let us not kill each other. Let us survive together.”
She explained that 60% of Cebu businesses are anchored on the services sector, and will be significantly affected if wages are increased.
In a services business, majority of the cost is manpower, Chan said.
Chan also said that the BPO companies, which are multinational, may be able to afford the P15 increase, but other “indpenedent BPOs” will have a difficult time coping with such cost, much more with the proposed P92 and P140 across-the-board wage increase. – Rappler.com / Dale G. Israel
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| Rappler file photo by Roy Lagarde |
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Associated Labor Union (ALU) is pushing for a P92 across-the-board wage increase for workers in Central Visayas, but the business sector thinks the amount is too much.
In its proposal submitted to the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB-VII) onTuesday, July 21, the labor group said the increase is needed even though the prices of petroleum has significantly dropped.
The commodities and the cost of living, however, did not drop like the petroleum prices, according to Art Barrit of the ALU.
Other labor groups have asked for a higher across-the-board wage increase. On July 13, the Cebu Labor Coalition and the Alliance of Progressive Labor sought a P140 across-the-board wage increase for the region.
All labor groups agree that the Central Visayas' minimum wage – P340 – is lower compared to that of the National Capital Region.
The regional wage board will hold a meeting on July 31 to discuss the proposals.
In an interview with dyLA-AM, a radio station operated by the ALU-TUCP, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Maria Teresa Chan said both proposals are too high.
Based on an inflation rate of 3-4%, the increase should only be between P13.6 and P15, she said.
An amount higher than that would hurt the industry, she added. “Let us not kill each other. Let us survive together.”
She explained that 60% of Cebu businesses are anchored on the services sector, and will be significantly affected if wages are increased.
In a services business, majority of the cost is manpower, Chan said.
Chan also said that the BPO companies, which are multinational, may be able to afford the P15 increase, but other “indpenedent BPOs” will have a difficult time coping with such cost, much more with the proposed P92 and P140 across-the-board wage increase. – Rappler.com / Dale G. Israel
DOLE warns against hiring foreign workers
MANILA - Amid reports of rising number of illegal foreign workers in the country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday warned local commercial establishments against hiring of foreign nationals without securing necessary employment permits.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said local employers hiring foreign workers without the necessary permit from DOLE face imprisonment and other penalties.
“DOLE is strictly enforcing the revised rules for the issuance of alien employment permits (AEPs), for which our regional offices have direct responsibility,” Baldoz noted.
Baldoz has already directed all DOLE regional offices to strictly enforce the rules on the issuance of alien employment permit.
Under the Labor Code, Baldoz said, any foreign national seeking admission to the Philippines for employment purposes, and any domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage a foreign national for employment in the Philippines, are requested to obtain an Alien Employment Permit from DOLE.
“The AEP is a permit issued to a non-resident alien or foreign national seeking admission to the Philippines for work after it has been determined a competent and able Filipino citizen is unavailable or unwilling at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired,” Baldoz explained.
She said an AEP is also required for foreign nationals who assume a new job position within their current organizations or those who transferred to a new position within related companies.
Based on DOLE guidelines, DOLE regional directors are authorized to conduct ocular inspection to verify legitimacy of employment of foreign national and a verification inspection of the establishment employing foreign nationals within 30 days after issuance of the AEP.
Baldoz said foreign nationals found to be working in the Philippines without a valid AEP would be fined P10,000 for every year of illegal work or fraction, while companies that illegally employed them would also be subject to a fine of P10,000 for every year of illegal employment or a fraction thereof.
DOLE will publish an AEP application to allow the general public to object to the new employment or job change of the foreign national within 30 days from the time of publication.
Baldoz said DOLE regional directors could deny an application for an AEP if the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense or is a fugitive from justice. DOLE may also may also motu proprio, or upon petition, cancel or revoke an AEP after due process based on meritorious objection or information against the employment of the foreign nationals.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) earlier reported a continuing growth in the number of illegal foreign workers in the country for the past years.
The greater bulk of the undocumented foreign workers here, TUCP claimed are Chinese nationals while others are Koreans, Japanese, Indonesians, Malaysians and Vietnamese.
Undocumented foreign workers are employed commonly in the construction, manufacturing, electronics, and services industries located in Metro Manila, Central Visayas, Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Bataan and Batangas. -By Mayen Jaymalin, The Philippine Star
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said local employers hiring foreign workers without the necessary permit from DOLE face imprisonment and other penalties.
“DOLE is strictly enforcing the revised rules for the issuance of alien employment permits (AEPs), for which our regional offices have direct responsibility,” Baldoz noted.
Baldoz has already directed all DOLE regional offices to strictly enforce the rules on the issuance of alien employment permit.
Under the Labor Code, Baldoz said, any foreign national seeking admission to the Philippines for employment purposes, and any domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage a foreign national for employment in the Philippines, are requested to obtain an Alien Employment Permit from DOLE.
“The AEP is a permit issued to a non-resident alien or foreign national seeking admission to the Philippines for work after it has been determined a competent and able Filipino citizen is unavailable or unwilling at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired,” Baldoz explained.
She said an AEP is also required for foreign nationals who assume a new job position within their current organizations or those who transferred to a new position within related companies.
Based on DOLE guidelines, DOLE regional directors are authorized to conduct ocular inspection to verify legitimacy of employment of foreign national and a verification inspection of the establishment employing foreign nationals within 30 days after issuance of the AEP.
Baldoz said foreign nationals found to be working in the Philippines without a valid AEP would be fined P10,000 for every year of illegal work or fraction, while companies that illegally employed them would also be subject to a fine of P10,000 for every year of illegal employment or a fraction thereof.
DOLE will publish an AEP application to allow the general public to object to the new employment or job change of the foreign national within 30 days from the time of publication.
Baldoz said DOLE regional directors could deny an application for an AEP if the applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense or is a fugitive from justice. DOLE may also may also motu proprio, or upon petition, cancel or revoke an AEP after due process based on meritorious objection or information against the employment of the foreign nationals.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) earlier reported a continuing growth in the number of illegal foreign workers in the country for the past years.
The greater bulk of the undocumented foreign workers here, TUCP claimed are Chinese nationals while others are Koreans, Japanese, Indonesians, Malaysians and Vietnamese.
Undocumented foreign workers are employed commonly in the construction, manufacturing, electronics, and services industries located in Metro Manila, Central Visayas, Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Bataan and Batangas. -By Mayen Jaymalin, The Philippine Star
Monday, July 13, 2015
Gov't urged to sack 16 Chinese experts in NGCP
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| A labor group claims that the Chinese experts working at the National Grid Corp.of the Philippines have installed fiber optics to the command and control of the entire grid without the appropriate franchise from Congress. |
MANILA, Philippines - The 16 Chinese experts working at the country’s National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) should be replaced by Filipino experts, labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines - Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) said on Monday.
The foreigners' Alien Employment Permit will expire on July 31.
"We have a very delicate situation rife with national security interest issue where a very critical and a very strategic government facility is in the hands of and controlled by foreigners. We would like to see this corrected as quickly as possible by having the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Labor and Employment ensure the immediate termination of their work permits immediately and not allow it renewed," TUCP-Nagkaisa executive director Louie Corral said.
He said the labor group expects DOE to ensure that operations manual for the NGCP has been translated into English from Chinese in time for the transition.
"It's scandalous and irresponsible for us to have allowed that the NGCP operations manual - the command and control of the entire electricity system - to be hostaged to a foreign language and hostaged to foreign experts," Corral said.
TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the labor group is also urging the Energy Regulatory Commission and the National Telecommunication Commission to conduct due diligence in the integrity of the entire NGCP transmission system.
"We received a reliable information alleging State Grid of China have installed fiber optics attached to the command and control of the entire grid without the appropriate franchise from the House of Representaives. This poses, we have a serious national security concern given the current state of play of China-Philippine relations," Tanjusay said.
The Philippines and China are now locked in an arbitration before a tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands in connection with West Philippine Sea dispute. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)
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