Labor group calls for joint fire safety audit of malls nationwide

Manila Bulletin photo

Alarmed by the alleged violations of mall owners to fire safety codes and noncompliance to occupational safety and health regulations, labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has called for a joint fire safety audit of malls nationwide.

In a statement, TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) should conduct a nationwide inspection to greatly minimize fire incidents in malls.

“It is outrageous to see another fire incident taking place in Metro Ayala mall and Gaisano mall in Cebu City when just 15 days ago 38 workers perished in NCCC Mall fire in Davao City,” he said.

Mendoza believes these are not “isolated incidents.”

“There is a widespread violation of mall owners to fire safety standards and compromise the safety of mall goers and well-being of mall workers to cut costs and make bigger profit for themselves,” he said.

Mendoza said the ongoing Metro Ayala Mall and the Gaisano mall and the NCCC Mall fires are symptoms of the wanton disregard of department store owners to go around the building safety laws and ignore workplace policy on workers’ health and safety.

“We have to find out other malls nationwide how safe or how fire-risks these are,” Mendoza said.

Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) spokesman Alan Tanjusay stressed the importance of conducting fire safety audit inspections in malls, which some Filipinos consider as home.

“Fire safety audit to all malls is important because workers work here and children, old folks and entire families consider malls as home. It is the place for work, recreation and business,” he said.

Malls have become very important place in the community, but how safe is our malls in the light of these twin mall fatal fire incidents? Tanjusay asked.

ALU-TUCP said the joint DOLE-BFP safety audit inspections should be conducted immediately in view of the forthcoming dry season when most fire incidents happen. - By Leslie Ann Aquino

Labor union eyes wage hike petition amid TRAIN effects on prices

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines says it would seek a nationwide wage increase if the tax reform law triggers 'exorbitant' inflation

Rappler photo

MANILA, Philippines – If prices of goods and services become "exorbitant" because of the tax reform law, a labor union would file another petition for a wage hike despite the one-year ban.

"We will indeed file a petition for wage increase if there is an extraordinary increase in prices of basic commodities such as rice, fish, vegetables and if there is an excessive surge in the cost of services such as transport fare, tuition fees, electricity and water rates," said ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay on Wednesday, January 3.

Wage increase orders had been issued in several regions in 2017. This included the P21 increase for Metro Manila minimum wage earners, which labor groups slammed as "measly."

Under the Revised Rules of the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), no wage petition will be entertained for one year upon the effectivity of a wage order.

"If the situation warrants, we will file the petition for workers to cope with [the] rising cost of living even if the one year prescribed for no-wage-increase period set by the wage board is still in effect," Tanjusay said.

ALU-TUCP, which also holds a seat in the House of Representatives, would file petitions in all regional wage boards or through emergency legislation.

Social protection

ALU-TUCP earlier called on the government to implement better social protection policies in order to shield the poor from inflationary effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

Figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as of December 2017 show that there are about 2.4 million unemployed persons. There are also an estimated 15.6 million informal sector workers.

Informal sector workers – composed mostly of independent small-scale distributors like sidewalk vendors, jeepney drivers, and small store owners – are the most vulnerable to price hikes because they have no access to social safety nets.

Since they do not have an employer and the financial means, they are unable to register for the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, and Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund).

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said the government will be providing a P200 monthly cash voucher to the poorest of the poor.

The Department of Finance (DOF) allocated P1 billion to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for this subsidy. But no implementation guidelines have been released to date. – Rappler.com

15.6-M informal sector workers will suffer from TRAIN law – ALU-TUCP

Over 15.6 million workers in the informal sector will suffer once the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) is finally passed into law, according to the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP).

This is higher than the existing estimates of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which pegs the number of local informal sector operators at 10.5 million.

ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said workers in the informal sector will be worse off with the implementation of the TRAIN since they will be made to pay more taxes without getting additional income.

Workers in the informal economy include independent, self-employed, small-scale producers, and distributors of goods and services, who are not covered by labor laws and have no social protection.

“Underground economy workers will be impacted by the rise in prices of commodities and in increase in the cost of services caused specifically by the TRAIN’s excise tax on fuel, sweetened beverages, and coal,” Tanjusay said.

Unlike workers in the informal economy, Tanjusay noted, employees with taxable income would benefit from TRAIN through its adjusted income tax exemptions.“TRAIN widened the base of those exempt from income tax – from minimum wage earners to mid-level wage earners – exempting those employees getting P250,000 a year or P21,000 a month. It also raised taxable bonuses from P82,000 to P90,000,” Tanjusay said.

But none of these benefits affects informal economy workers, he said. Instead, they will all suffer from high prices of goods and services.

ALU-TUCP called on President Duterte to postpone the implementation of TRAIN until the government can provide the necessary protection to workers in the informal sector.

“The TRAIN has no policy or program for them. We urge government to improve its social safety-net protection to underground economy workers to save them further from falling deep into extreme poverty. This is the only way we can protect them,” Tanjusay said. - By Samuel Medenilla

ABS-CBN News graphics

Labor sector airs concern over unemployment rate

Government efforts against illegal forms of contractualization may have finally started making their dent in the country’s underemployed persons, according to a labor group.

In a phone interview, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) spokesperson Alan Tanjusay attributed the recent significant decline in underemployment rate to the new wage increases and President Duterte’s position against illegal contractualization.

“The reduction in underemployment is probably because many employers became afraid of President Duterte’s statement (on contractualization) so they regularized their workers,” Tanjusay said.

Ever since his presidential campaign, Duterte has repeatedly stated his position against contractualization.

Last June, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) projected an improvement in the LFS after it implemented its Department Order 174, which further restricted the practice of contractualization.

DO 174 complemented DOLE’s ongoing drive against illegal forms of contractualization, which started in 2016, upon the instruction of Duterte.

Latest data from DOLE showed the campaign already benefitted 125,352 contractual workers.

Based on the October Labor Force Survey (LFS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), underemployment rate dropped to 15.9 percent from 18 percent in the same period last year.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) attributed this to the government’s additional job fairs and livelihood assistance program.

PSA defines underemployed persons as those who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or an additional job, or have a new job with longer working hours.

Unemployment concerns

Despite the improvement in underemployment rate, Tanjusay expressed concern over the unemployment rate in the October LFS, which slightly grew to 5 percent from 4.7 percent in the same period in 2016.

“The lowering of employment rate and the rise in the unemployment is a signal to President Duterte to seriously create the environment for new and permanent jobs-creating investments to come in and do business here,” Tanjusay said.

Partido Manggagawa (PM) national chair Renato Magtubo also raised the same concern and said the administration should focus in reviving other industries aside from those considered as key employment generators.

“The survey shows that employment generators of the economy— the BPO (business process outsourcing), tourism, construction, and retail and trade industries—cannot cope up with the rising number of persons entering the labor force, as such a rise (manifested) in the unemployment rate,” Magtubo said in a text message.

“Government should put more effort (policies, programs and services) aimed at reviving local manufacturing industries as well as modernizing agriculture to sustain generation of suitable employment,” he added.

Tanjusay warned more people will suffer from poverty if Duterte fails to address the increasing unemployment rate after six months, in time for the entry of thousands of graduating college students in the workforce. (Samuel Medenilla)