No problem with workers’ rights in PH, says Baldoz

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz: No problem. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has downplayed the assessment of an international workers’ rights organization that the Philippines is among the worst countries in the world for workers.

“It does not necessarily concern the workers’ rights since we don’t have problems with workers’ rights. We can say the industry advocacy for workers in the country is very good,” said Baldoz, referring to the 2014 Global Rights Index of the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

ITUC ranked 139 countries based on internationally recognized indicators to assess where workers’ rights, such as democratic rights, decent wages, safer working conditions and secure jobs, are best protected, in law and in practice.
Countries were ranked from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) based on 97 indicators related to workers’ rights. The evaluation was conducted from April 2013 to March 2014.

The Philippines obtained a rating of 5, which meant that legislation protecting workers’ rights were in place but workers effectively had no access to such rights, thus exposing them to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices.
“In terms of quality of work in the country, I can say we are doing OK. The same goes with what they are saying about labor rights,” Baldoz said.

But she said that if there was one aspect of the ITUC findings that was accurate, it would be the problem of the extrajudicial killings of workers.

According to Baldoz, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has committed to fast-track the investigation and hearing of extrajudicial killings involving workers by creating special prosecutor teams.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), meanwhile, said the ITUC findings only confirmed what labor groups in the country had been saying all along.

“The TUCP confirms the findings of the ITUC that the Philippines is indeed one of the worst places to work in,” said TUCP president Democrito Mendoza in a statement.

The TUCP underscored the high unemployment in the country, adding that it expected this to increase because there was no new infrastructure to attract large and jobs-creating investments. Inquirer

Global Rights Index: PH rates among 24 worst countries

The Aquino administration has given the Philippines a dubious distinction as one of the worst countries to work in, the Trade Union Congress of Philippines said on Wednesday.

Citing the findings of the International Trade Union Confederation, TUCP president Democrito Mendoza said that 73 percent of the 39 million labor force are not regularized: they work as contractual for five months while majority of them do not receive lawful minimum wage.

“They are also fired from their jobs if they try to form a union that can bargain higher wages and benefits from employer profits,” the TUCP said.

The ITUC’s Global Rights Index rates countries on a scale of 1 (best) to 5 (worst) depending on their compliance with collective labor rights. This is done by evaluating 97 indicators, such as workers’ rights to establish or join unions, to collective bargaining and to strike.

The Philippines scored 5, which means there is “no guarantee of rights,” along with 23 other countries.

Countries with the rating of 5 are the worst countries in the world to work in. While the legislation may spell out certain rights workers have effectively no access to these rights and are therefore exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices,” the ITUC report said.

“Without security of tenure, Filipino workers also suffer from lack of social protection services provided by the government. Government sell basic services to private ownership who exist to earn profits and not serve the public good,” Mendoza said.

Filipino workers also don’t have unemployment insurance to protect them when they lost their jobs; health insurance is high and unstable.

“Workers are also vulnerable to unstable prices of basic commodities. Sometimes government failed to assure supply and workers often suffer for it,” the TUCP said.

Based on the report, having a 1 rating means collective labor rights are “generally guaranteed”, and violations against workers do not occur on a regular basis.

“Countries such as Denmark and Uruguay led the way through their strong labor laws, but perhaps surprisingly, the likes of Greece, the United States and Hong Kong, lagged behind,” said ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow.

“A country’s level of development proved to be a poor indicator of whether it respected basic rights to bargain collectively, strike for decent conditions, or simply join a union at all,” she added.

The ITUC noted that workers in at least 53 countries have either been dismissed or suspended from their jobs “for attempting to negotiate better working conditions.”

While many countries recognize the right to strike, ITUC noted that at least 87 countries exclude certain types of workers from this right. There are also 37 countries that impose fines or even jail time for workers who go on strikes.

“In countries such as Qatar or Saudi Arabia, the exclusion of migrant workers from collective labor rights means that effectively more than 90 per cent of the workforce is unable to have access to their rights leading to forced labor practices in both countries supported by archaic sponsorship laws.

Several Southeast Asian countries also scored 5, such as Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia and South Korea.

Middle Eastern countries Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, where many Filipinos are working, also received a score of 5.

However, there were countries that had even worse conditions, getting a score of 5+. These are: Libya, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Central African Republic. The rating of 5+ means there is no guarantee of workers’ rights due to breakdown of the rule of law. Manila Standard

TUCP: Philippines really among worst countries for workers

LABOR group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) immediately affirmed the finding of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) that the country is currently among the worst countries for workers.

TUCP president Democrito Mendoza said the ITUC was right on in saying that workers in the country are exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices.

"TUCP confirms the findings of ITUC that Philippines is indeed one of the worst places to work in," said Mendoza in a statement.

The labor group noted how about 73 to 75 percent of the 39 million members of the labor force are not being regularized and are only contractual employees for an average of five months.

Also, Mendoza said some 85 percent of contractuals are not receiving lawful minimum wages and are also fired immediately from their jobs once they try to form a labor union.

"Without security of tenure, Filipino workers are also suffering from lack of social protection services provided by government," said Mendoza.

The TUCP also underscored that unemployment in the country is already at three million while underemployment is placed at seven million.

"In fact, we anticipate unemployment will rise to five million due to the fact that there are no new infrastructures to attract large and jobs-creating investments," Mendoza further said.

In its 2014 Global Rights Index, the ITUC ranked countries based on internationally recognized indicators to assess where workers' rights, such as democratic rights, decent wages, safer working conditions, and secure jobs, are best protected, in law and in practice.

The Philippines was placed in the "5" rated countries, which means that legislation protecting workers' rights are in place but that workers have effectively no access to such rights.

On the other hand, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) chose to downplay the results of the finding saying it does not describe the working condition in the country accurately.

"It does not necessarily concern the workers' rights since we don't have problems with other workers' rights. We can say the industry advocacy for workers in the country is very good," said Baldoz.

"In terms of quality of work in the country, I can say we are doing okay. Same goes with what they are saying about labor rights," she added.

The labor chief admitted that there remains the problem on extrajudicial killings of workers in the country.

She said this is the reason why Dole is already closely coordinating with the Department of Justice.

"Justice Secretary Leila de Lima already committed to fast track the investigation and hearing of extra judicial killings involving workers by creating special teams to prosecute," said Baldoz. (HDT/Sunnex)

Philippines among worst countries for workers

THE PHILIPPINES has been tagged as one of the worst countries for workers, according to a report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The country, based on ITUC’s 2014 Global Rights Index, earned a “5” rating, which meant “no guarantee of rights”.

“Countries with the rating of 5 are the worst countries in the world to work in. While the legislation may spell out certain rights, workers have effectively no access to these rights and are therefore exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices,” the ITUC said.

The organization’s other ratings include a 5+ for “no guarantee of rights due to the breakdown of the rule of law”, 4 for “systematic violation of rights”, 3 for “regular violation of rights”, 2 for “repeated violation of rights” and 1 for “irregular violation of rights.

“Based on reports from affiliates, workers in at least 53 countries have either been dismissed or suspended from their jobs for attempting to negotiate better working conditions,” the ITUC said.

“In the vast majority of these cases, the national legislation offered either no protection or did not provided dissuasive sanctions in order to hold abusive employers accountable,” it added.

Asked for comment, Alan A. Tanjusay, spokesman of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, said prevailing working conditions in the country “confirm the report”.

He cited, among other things, contractual workers receiving less than the mandated minimum wage, lack of security of tenure and health insurance, the transfer of social services to the private sector from the government, vulnerability to price fluctuations of commodities and high unemployment.

“In fact, we anticipate unemployment will rise to 5 million due to the fact that there are no new infrastructures to attract large and job-creating investments,” Mr. Tanjusay said.

The country’s unemployment rate stood at 7.5% as of January this year.

Edgardo G. Lacson, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said for his part: “Ugliness, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder”.

“The opinion of one group may not truly represent the sentiment of the entire universe of 41 million workers in the country,” Mr. Lacson said in a text message.

“Workers’ condition in various workplaces is situational, and the claim by the group in question must be supported by empirical data,” he added.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz declined to comment, saying she has yet to read a copy of the report.

The ITUC Global Rights Index covered violations in 139 countries from April 2013 to March 2014.

ITUC is a confederation of national trade union centers with 325 affiliated organizations in 161 countries and territories. It has a membership of over 176 million. - BusinessWorld