Labor to next President: Save 5.5M child workers

Two labor federations on Sunday challenged the next administration to create a task force to implement laws against child labor.

Allan Tanjusay, spokesman for the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and advocacy officer of the Associated Labor Unions (ALU), said “the good and effective thing that the incoming administration should do in solving the problems on child labor is create a task force.”

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) show that the Philippines is an employer of 5.5 million child laborers.

The youngest child worker is about five years old and the oldest is 17.

Of the 5.5 million, there are about 3.21 million who are engaged in the worst forms of child labor such as sex trafficking and drug pushing, according to PSA and DOLE.

The statistics authority said the 3.21 million child workers employed in the worst forms of child labor are also considered as engaged in “hazardous work.”

The International Labor Organization (ILO) explained that child laborers are those who have been “jeopardize[d] the[ir] physical, mental or moral well-being… either because of [the] nature [of the work that they are engaged in] or because of the conditions in which [the work] is carried out.”

“More specifically, hazardous child labor is work in dangerous or unhealthy conditions that could result in a child being killed, or injured and/or made ill as a consequence of poor safety and health standards and working arrangements. Some injuries or ill health may result in permanent disability. Often health problems caused by working as a child [laborer] may not develop or show up until the child is an adult,” the ILO said.

It added that hazardous work is the largest category of the worst forms of child labor because it can happen even in those jobs that appear to be decent such as in agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, service industries, hotels, bars, restaurants, fast-food establishments and domestic service.

The PSA said two-thirds of the 3.21 million are boys and one-third are girls.

To make the task force effective, Tanjusay said it “should be composed of government and non-governmental organizations [with] a primary focus on the current strategy of tapping the barangay [village] officials in conducting regular rounds on the identified areas where there are child laborers.”

“Also, the task force should make it sure that these children are enroled in school,” he added.

Julius Cainglet, vice president of the Federation of Free Workers, said labor groups, including FFW, have been working with the DOLE through the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC).

But, Cainglet admitted that the NCLC does not function as a regular agency but only acts as a coordinating body between DOLE and labor groups directed to implement the Philippine Program Against Child Labor.

The committee was formed in December 2011 through a memorandum of agreement among government departments, labor groups, and non-government organizations.

It has no funds of its own, Cainglet said.

According to Tanjusay, the NCLC has failed its purpose because it seldom meets on how it would consistently carry out anti-child labor programs of the government.

He disclosed to The Manila Times that the NCLC “is not working well. It rarely holds meeting.”

Tanjusay said the NCLC is “dormant” because no meeting has taken place in the last two years.

He accused the Aquino administration of intentionally neglecting the problem of child labor since 2010, pointing out that President Benigno Aquino 3rd never tackled the problem in his State-of-the-Nation Addresses. - by NELSON S. BADILLA, REPORTER / The Manila Times

Labor group loves office romances

Far from distracting workers from their jobs, office romances can boost productivity and creativity when guided by company policies, an alliance of trade unions said on Friday.

In a statement, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged the the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to take the lead in coming up with a sample template on policies and implementing guidelines on office romances to discourage favoritism, sexual harassment and abuse, and minimize miscommunication within the company.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said policies on workplace romances are uncommon in work contracts and collective bargaining agreements in the country because many view them as unimportant.

“We’re (asking) DOLE to come up with workplace romance policy guidelines not to ban (office) romance but to encourage it,” he told the Inquirer on Friday.

Tweaking provisions

“Many do not know that by tweaking the provisions of (such policy), they can boost productivity and creativity among employees,” Tanjusay said.

Such policies, he added, would support, guide and encourage consensual romantic relationships without crossing management prerogatives, nor infringing on the workers’ intrinsic tendency to fall in love with colleagues or superiors.

By issuing the policy guidelines, the Labor department can protect consenting couples against oppressive management actions, especially in establishments without labor unions, the TUCP official said, adding that the guidelines must also define parameters meant to govern the existence of workplace romance. TVJ By: Jocelyn R. Uy Philippine Daily Inquirer

TUCP founder Democrito Mendoza dies

LABOR LEADER. Lawyer Democrito Mendoza dedicated 70 years of his life to fighting for the rights of laborers in the Philippines. Image from Facebook

Mendoza is known as one of the founding pillars of the labor movement in the Philippines


MANILA, Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) co-founder Democrito Mendoza died on Tuesday evening, January 12.

The 92-year-old labor leader and lawyer from Cebu died at 6:40 pm. Doctors have yet to announce the cause of his death, TUCP Spokesperson Alan Tanjusay told Rappler in a text message.

Before he died, Mendoza headed the TUCP as its president. He took the position following the death of then-president Ernesto Herrera in October last year.

Mendoza was known as one of the founding fathers of the labor movement in the Philippines, pioneering the creation of labor centers in Quezon City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Davao City.

He started as a labor leader when he organized port workers in Cebu and created the Associated Labor Unions (ALU), which later became the biggest labor union in the country.

A 3-time Presidential awardee, Mendoza had consistently called for improved labor conditions both locally and internationally.

In 1983, Mendoza founded the ASEAN Trade Union Council, which helped advance the freedom of association workers. In 1993, he also pushed for a restructuring of the Philippine economy to generate new jobs and protect workers from growing contractualization

In his honor, Benguet Representative Ronald Cosalan filed House Resolution No. 1051 in April 2015, which sought for a congressional recognition to Mendoza's life-long dedication to the labor movement in the country.

"Mendoza's unwavering work, advocacy, inspiration and his love for the workingmen has challenged not only the Philippine government but also governments around the world," Cosalan said in the resolution. – Rappler.com

With ASEAN integration come social cost and disruption, labor group warns

THE COUNTRY’S biggest labor coalition warns of a disruption among workers with the realization of the planned economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In a statement on Sunday, the Nagkaisa group of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said regional integration of which programs are under way could lead to low-quality jobs as well as a surge in unemployment.

“The integration will further stimulate jobless growth, race to the bottom phenomenon and promote other forms of precarious work conditions including lowered standard in occupational safety and health particularly if labor laws enforcement is weak and regulatory institutions are irrelevant,” TUCP-Nagkaisa Spokesperson Alan T. Tanjusay said.

The group referred to jobless growth as economic growth marred by unemployment, underemployment and poverty, and to the bottom phenomenon as competition among companies in cutting wages and workers’ living standards.

The TUCP said that, with regional integration, employers will have more leeway to pursue leaner operations, outsource jobs across borders, and relocate production to locations with the most affordable labor.

But Mr. Tanjusay for his part also said: “... [W]e can expect a wider job market for Filipino workers who are highly sought after because of their reputation for excellent craftsmanship. Thus, we see a rise in remittances and the spike of job-creating allied services which are additional perk to the economy.”

The group called for a review of the country’s Alien Employment Permit, issued by the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Work Visa and the Special Work Permit (SWP) issued by the Bureau of Immigration.

“Because of these double functions and lack of coordination between these two agencies, work permits are rife with graft and corruption resulting [in] lack of protection for foreign workers working in the country,” the group said. The group also urged the government to organize a single oversight body to grant, supervise and manage these permits. - By Alden M. Monzon, Reporter BusinessWorld Online