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
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
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
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
Monday, October 5, 2015
Labor group urges PBA cagers to restore players' union
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A labor group urged the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) cagers to revive a players' union amid the Mahindra Enforcers-Alex Nuyles contract row.
"We encourage them to form players' union because they are professional, first class athletes and not commodities," Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said in a statement.
"Basketball players are just like any other ordinary blue collared worker who is vulnerable to abuse."
Such union will, in particular, protect the players from abuse of contract, Tanjusay added.
"But if they organize themselves into unions, they can get the best terms of the deal of their contracts than those who are not unionized," said Tanjusay, who is also an advocacy officer of the Associated Labor Unions.
This came on the heels of former Mahindra coach Glen Capacio expressing support to guard Alex Nuyles, whose contract with the Enforcers was invalidated by the team management.
It was, in fact, Capacio who first called for the restoration of the PBA players' union, which was formed by PBA four-time MVPs Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio, Robert Jaworksi, among others during the 1990s, to "protect the interest of Nuyles and other PBA players who have similar predicament."
Unfortunately, players failed to keep the group active.
Tanjusay added that formation of unions are being "encouraged by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and promoted by the International Labour Organization (ILO)." - By CNN Philippines Staff
1 M agriculture sector workers may lose jobs due to El Niño
 |
| Photo taken last May shows a girl examining the cracked soil caused by the dry spell in Barangay Madayegdeg, San Fernandoe City, La Union. VIC ALHAMBRA |
MANILA, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) has called on the national government to draw up contingency plans for about 800,000 to one million agriculture sector workers who stand to lose their jobs within the next six months of an intensified El Niño dry spell.
The largest labor group in the country said the workers should be included in the livelihood and assistance programs of the government and in the mitigation plans being drawn by various national and local government offices.
“We urge the government to include in their mitigation plans the agriculture sector workers who may be rendered jobless due to the intense weather phenomenon,” said Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions (ALU). “These type of workers suffer a double whammy because not only do they lose their livelihood and income, they also suffer as consumers.”
Seno said the group supports the call of Sen. Francis Escudero, who last Friday urged the national government to create an inter-agency task force that will draw a roadmap to better cope with El Niño.
The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) records showed that as of April, there are 11.4 million workers in the agriculture sector, down by 400,000 from 2014’s 11.8 million. These workers include those engaged in hunting, forestry and fishing.
Alan Tanjusay, TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesman, projected a rapid employment decline in the agriculture sector starting at the onset of El Niño as he also cited a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) record that showed a 0.37 percent contraction in employments relating to the agriculture sector during the second quarter of this year.
The decline is largely attributed to the intense heat, which affected the crops and fisheries sub-sectors.
“Our agriculture workers, particularly in the rural areas, are underpaid. That is why the sector always had the highest underemployment incidence. We do not see the agricultural workers in the government’s El Niño rescue plan,” Tanjusay said.
The TUCP-Nagkaisa also quoted data that showed a steady decline in the number of workers in the agricultural sector starting from 12.2 million in 2011, 12 million in 2012, 11.83 million in 2013 and 11.8 million last year.
In July this year, the group said unemployment in the sector rose to a total of 755,000 workers.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) secretary-general and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan blamed the onset of El Niño as causing the rise of unemployment in the sector.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said 58 percent of the country is experiencing the effects of El Niño, and that this could increase to 85 percent in February 2016.
The provinces heavily affected by the phenomenon include Quirino, Aurora, Quezon, Bohol, Siquijor, Camiguin and Misamis Oriental. – By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) With Mayen Jaymalin
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