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EcoWaste, TUCP push for stronger anti-asbestos policy

There is an urgent need to improve the policy on the manufacture and use of asbestos and materials containing the disease-causing substance to protect public health, the EcoWaste Coalition (EcoWaste) and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Thursday, Jan. 6.

In a joint statement, EcoWaste and TUCP said that the Chemical Control Order (CCO) for Asbestos “needs serious enhancement” to protect the public from the unrestricted importation of raw asbestos and materials or products containing such substance.

According to the groups, the most common diseases caused by asbestos exposure are asbestosis or a form of lung disease, lung and ovary cancer, scarring of the lung lining, and mesothelioma or the formation of a tumor in the linings of the lungs, abdomen, or heart.

“We no longer see labels on asbestos-containing products. And we don’t see warning signages that forewarn the people and keep communities from hazards of asbestos dust exposure in demolition and disposal of asbestos,” said TUCP President Raymond Mendoza.

“The compliance to and enforcement of CCO is long gone. We fear that many workers and their families may have been exposed already, and its effects will only manifest a few years later,” he added.

Meanwhile, EcoWaste Coalition Chemical Safety Campaigner Thony Dizon said the CCO can be strengthened by expanding the ban to cover all forms of asbestos, phasing out asbestos-containing products, and promoting the commercial use of safer alternatives to such carcinogenic material.

“All stakeholders, including workers, communities, and local governments, need to be involved in raising citizens’ awareness on this public health issue and in the conduct of sustained monitoring and surveillance on asbestos exposure,” Dizon said.

The CCO on Asbestos was issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Jan. 6, 2000.

It prohibits all forms of asbestos on toys, low-density jointing chemicals, corrugated commercial paper, and untreated textiles among others.

Moreover, it also notes that asbestos and asbestos-containing materials must be labeled in structures, construction, demolition, disposal, and packaging products.

All manufacturers are also required by the DENR to register with the Environmental Management Bureau, obtain importation clearance, and submit annual reports, among other things, to ensure compliance with the CCO. - by Faith Argosino

‘No work, no pay’ rule for unvaxxed workers unfair, say labor groups

LOCAL labor groups and even business leaders cried foul over the proposed “no work, no pay” policy that the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) plans to implement for unvaccinated employees starting December 1, 2021.

A representative of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) claims that the policy is a form of punishment and discrimination for employees who have not gotten vaccinated against the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Alan Tanjusay, TUCP national spokesperson, said the national government should provide incentives to their employees in order to convince them to get vaccinated such as giving them paid leaves, financial bonuses, rice allowance, or simply providing shuttle services going to vaccination sites.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has issued Resolution 148 and 149 that would require all on-site employees to be vaccinated.

Labor Assistant Secretary Teresita Cucueco said in an online briefing on Monday, November 22, that employees who don’t want to get vaccinated may opt to undergo RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) testing but the payment must come from their own pocket.

Cucueco added that the “No work, no pay” rule may be applied to on-site workers who refuse to be vaccinated and cannot present a negative RT-PCR test.

Aside from TUCP, the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) Central Visayas has condemned the move of the labor department, saying that vaccination is not mandatory under Republic Act 11525 or the Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 that was signed by President Duterte in February 2021.

Lawyer Nora Ana Meterio-Diego, ALU Central Visayas vice president, told Sunstar Cebu that the government should shoulder the expenses for the swab testing and antigen test of unvaccinated employees.

“The government should incentivize rather than punish or deprive unvaccinated workers,” Diego said.

LOCAL labor groups and even business leaders cried foul over the proposed “no work, no pay” policy that the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) plans to implement for unvaccinated employees starting December 1, 2021.

A representative of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) claims that the policy is a form of punishment and discrimination for employees who have not gotten vaccinated against the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Alan Tanjusay, TUCP national spokesperson, said the national government should provide incentives to their employees in order to convince them to get vaccinated such as giving them paid leaves, financial bonuses, rice allowance, or simply providing shuttle services going to vaccination sites.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has issued Resolution 148 and 149 that would require all on-site employees to be vaccinated.

Labor Assistant Secretary Teresita Cucueco said in an online briefing on Monday, November 22, that employees who don’t want to get vaccinated may opt to undergo RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) testing but the payment must come from their own pocket.

Cucueco added that the “No work, no pay” rule may be applied to on-site workers who refuse to be vaccinated and cannot present a negative RT-PCR test.

Aside from TUCP, the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) Central Visayas has condemned the move of the labor department, saying that vaccination is not mandatory under Republic Act 11525 or the Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 that was signed by President Duterte in February 2021.

Lawyer Nora Ana Meterio-Diego, ALU Central Visayas vice president, told Sunstar Cebu that the government should shoulder the expenses for the swab testing and antigen test of unvaccinated employees.

“The government should incentivize rather than punish or deprive unvaccinated workers,” Diego said.

Diego said this will be a disadvantage to workers who have allergic reactions and may face serious illness when inoculated with the vaccine.

The Federation of Free Workers also questioned the legality of the policy since it contradicts Section 12 of RA 11525 which bars the use of vaccine cards as a requirement for educational, employment and other similar government purposes.

The labor groups also urged employers not to wait for any directive from the government in giving incentives since this is for the welfare of their workforce.

On the management side, an official of the Filipino Cebuano Business Club (FilCeb) said that although they are for the vaccination of employees, implementing a “no work, no pay” rule for unvaccinated workers is a “counterproductive” move.

FilCeb chairman Rey Calooy said human resource (HR) personnel for various firms should offer incentives to workers or proper counseling to persuade them to get vaccinated.

“We need education within the company on the benefits of getting vaccinated. And the HR should understand why that particular employee won’t get vaccinated. Maybe that person has psychological hesitance or phobia that they can talk about,” he said.

Calooy said only a small group of employees remains unvaccinated. However, to pave the way for economic recovery, there should be understanding and assessment of employees who remain unvaccinated.

Calooy said instead of forcing them to get vaccinated, employers could offer their workers paid leave for a day just to convince them to get vaccinated or offer free rides to their workers if they are going to vaccination centers.

Meanwhile, Tanjusay added that they support the three-day national vaccination drive organized by the government and said that if November 29 and December 1 will be declared as special non-working holidays, then this is something that they would consider as an incentive for workers. (IRT, JOB)

TUCP condemns police ‘intrusion’ of group’s HQ

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) condemned the latest intrusion of six armed policemen inside the TUCP Labor Center compound along Elliptical Road corner Maharlika St., in Diliman, Quezon City last Tuesday.

“This is a clear act of harassment intended to send a chilling message to the trade union movement and specifically to cow TUCP in its advocacy and union organizing work in both the private and public sectors,” said TUCP President Raymond Mendoza.

“Without permission or even a courtesy request, the policemen, using the CIDG blue-and-white sedan vehicle with plate number SKM 714 from QC-76, entered the TUCP compound and arrogantly roamed inside our private premises, took photos of the daily attendance list, and interrogated our staff without a search warrant,” Mendoza said in a statement.

“We remind all - especially the PNP and the CIDG - to adhere and strictly observe the rule of law. The TUCP will not countenance or tolerate any legal short-cuts, especially by our supposed lawenforcers. Further, this is the fifth time that an unwarranted police intrusion has occurred within our Quezon City premises, and it has also occurred in offices and buildings of our affiliates in Mindanao,” he said.

Mendoza said “we feel that the pattern to scare off legitimate labor groups is patently clear. What they are doing to TUCP is deeply alarming in this time of profiling and ideological-tagging of labor groups.” 

“The police entered without the courtesy of a request or approaching any responsible officer of the union in the Compound to explain their purpose and in contravention of an existing protocol on rules of engagement between the PNP and trade unions,” he added.

The TUCP is the largest trade union center in the country, and an affiliate of the Brussels-based International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), which has been at the forefront of defending workers’ rights and welfare globally.

Mendoza said the police intrusion into the TUCP compound is a direct assault on the  Constitutional rights of workers and is a violation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 which the Philippine government has ratified and is obligated to observe. -

- by Vito Barcelo