TUCP to oil companies: Limit profit-making

AMID the steady rise in the prices of fuel products, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country's biggest labor group, called on oil companies to share the burden by moderating their profit margins, as a way of showing corporate social responsibility.

TUCP's call came following the 11th straight week of oil price hikes, eroding further workers' wages amid relentless rise in the prices of basic commodities and services.

"It is not only PUV (public utility vehicle) drivers and motorists who are taking the hit from oil price hikes but all Filipino families because when gas prices go up, it will have a second-round knockdown effect on almost all basic goods and services," said TUCP Vice President Luis Corral. "Why is it so easy for gas companies to implement price hikes while it is exceedingly hard for workers to demand pay hikes?"

"We have long urged all social partners, both in government and in business, to share the sacrifice because workers have long sacrificed, especially during the pandemic, providing a decent life to their families despite too high prices and too low wages," he pointed out.

Further, the TUCP said the lives of the working class could become more bearable if oil companies go easy on profit-making.

The group added that it supported moves by the leadership of the House of Representatives to recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the possible suspension of excise tax and value-added tax on oil.

"We join calls to review and reform the Oil Deregulation Law. This is long overdue since this policy of unbundling gas prices never ended unfair and unjust pricing borne out of price collusion. It is well-settled, after all, that liberalization and deregulation will only work in a truly free market, and not in an oligopoly filled with colluding firms," the group further said.

At the same time, it called on Congress to prioritize the study and amendment of Republic Act 9136, or the "Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001," more popularly known as the "Epira Law."

It pointed out that the law never achieved its purpose of making electricity in the country affordable and reliable.

"Even before assuming the presidency, the President declared that 'our mission for our country is to have adequate, reliable and affordable electricity for all' in cognizance that 'a big part of every Filipino's salary goes to paying electric bills.' We hope Congress will also [include in the] agenda amendments to Epira, such as proposed rate reduction targets," it said. - By William B. Depasupil

TUCP proposes measures to stem ‘pandemic of human trafficking’

House Deputy Speaker and labor leader Democrito C. Mendoza on Wednesday suggested the country should launch programs and “whole-of-society” response against rising cases of illegal recruitment and human trafficking to save Filipinos lives.

The “pandemic of human trafficking” has threatened thousands of Filipinos who “just want to provide a decent life for their families,” said Mendoza.

For the first two months of 2023, the Bureau of Immigration recorded at least 6,000 victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment in the country. In June, over 2,700 victims were rescued in Las Piñas, following other rescues from other towns.

According to Mendoza, most fall victims to illegal recruiters and human traffickers due to poverty, lack of decent and secured jobs, soaring prices and unlivable wages.

A “one recruiter-to-one deployer correspondence” must be observed to end trafficking, according to a TUCP statement. This means a one-on-one correspondence between the foreign recruiter and the deployer in the Philippines.

In today’s situation, there can be as many as six recruitment agencies to one Philippine deployer.  Hypothetically, if “one recruitment agency is suspended, the Philippine deployer can still deploy to the other five.”

Moreover, the country should impose additional manpower and funding for smaller airports and seaports of border patrol task forces, TUCP said.

In addition, TUCP urged that an education campaign would help end human trafficking. This will raise the awareness of Filipinos on issues and help them detect red flags on job offers.

Victims of human trafficking should be provided a “national reintegration program,” TUCP added as the last part of the key measures.

According to TUCP, government agencies should be on the “frontlines” and provide victims a skills database to match them with a new decent job.

“Amid the pandemic of human trafficking that already threatened thousands of Filipino victims who just want to provide a decent life for their families, the Philippines should lead in this global fight,” said Mendoza.  - Patrick V. Miguel

TUCP: Ratify ILO C-190 , a treaty ending all forms of violence and harassment in workplaces

THE TRADE Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) reiterated its call on Monday for the Philippines to be the first in the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) to ratify International Labor Organization Convention No. 190 (ILO C-190), a treaty ending all forms of violence and harassment in workplaces.

The ILO describes C-190, the Violence and Harassment Convention of 2019, as the first global treaty to contain the “first internationally agreed definition of violence and harassment in the world of work.”

The House in January this year adopted a resolution urging the Philippine government to ratify C-190, but the Senate has yet to concur.

In a statement, TUCP President and Party-list Representative Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. to support its ratification in the interest of “gender equality, women’s freedom from sexism and abuse, and closing the gender gap.”

“What better way to honor the noble legacy of the late Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan ‘Toots’ V. Ople, who devoted her entire purpose-driven life to the plight of modern-day hero Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and the advancement of women rights and empowerment than to ratify the groundbreaking ILO Convention No. 190,” Mr. Mendoza said.

Ms. Ople passed away on Aug. 22. The President cited her as a dear friend and “irreplaceable” champion of the causes of OFWs. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

Labor defends proposed P150 wage increase

TWO of the country's biggest labor organizations, the Nagkakaisa Labor Coalition (Nagkaisa) and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), on Wednesday called on policymakers and businesses to recognize that investing in workers through higher wages yields significant long-term benefits.

"The positive effects cascade throughout the economy, generating a multiplier effect that contributes to overall prosperity," said Nagkaisa chairman Sonny Matula.

He debunked a statement by business groups that only a minority will benefit from the proposed P150 across-the-board legislative wage increase.

The business' arguments, he pointed out, failed to consider the broader economic effects and undermines the crucial role of fair wages in driving sustainable growth.

He added that contrary to the business sector's claims, raising wages will have a significant positive impact on the economy and the majority of workers.

He explained that ensuring fair wages for a significant portion of the workforce can create a positive ripple effect that stimulates economic activity, increases consumer spending power, and fosters social progress.

In addition, the economic benefits of wage increase can help address the persistent issue of malnutrition in the Philippines, which Unicef said has severe effects on children, including stunted growth.

Nagkaisa maintained that the first key advantage of higher wages is that workers have more money at their disposal, and with increased purchasing power, workers are empowered to spend on essential goods and services, thereby driving consumer demand.

Secondly, the group stressed that higher wages can foster employee loyalty and motivation.

"When workers are fairly compensated for their efforts, they feel valued and are more likely to be engaged and productive in their roles. This improved productivity can enhance business efficiency and output, further bolstering economic growth," it pointed out.

Likewise, it said a workforce with higher wages projects stability and helps attract investments.

For its part, the TUCP said that it is unfortunate that both employers and economic managers are now ganging up in an "overkill" on the poor workers' calls to bring up measly real wages to at least be within the poverty threshold.

Employers and economic managers had claimed that should a wage increase be granted, it would result in widespread closure of medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs), which comprise 98 percent of businesses in the country.

But on the contrary, TUCP Vice President Luis Corral said that it is precisely the high prices of food and services, rent, and electricity that are now forcing workers to call on Congress to address their desperate situation.

"The TUCP calls on our economic managers to work triply hard to address the soaring prices of basic goods and services, and their impact in further depressing already-low wages. The call for wage increase months ago should have been a wake-up call to the economic managers to save the rapidly deteriorating situation of a majority of the working poor," added Corral.

Trade unions blast govt

On the other hand, the All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU) has slammed the government for not taking seriously the recommendations of the International Labor Organization-High Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM) to get to the bottom of the killings of trade unionists and blatant violations of workers' right to unionize.

APTU, which is composed of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Kilusang Mayo Uno, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), The Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, among others, has endorsed the joint workers' report to the ILO-HLTM.

The APTU representatives during Wednesday's Pandesal Forum of the Kamuning Bakery and Café in Quezon City castigated the government for allegedly continuing to leave workers out of the inter-agency committee under Executive Order 23, which was supposed to strengthen coordination and expedite the investigation, prosecution and resolution of cases for violations of the right to organize.

"Nothing about us. The workers had been left out of the new body despite being its main proponent," they said.

"Besides, as a member of the ILO and a signatory of the ILO Convention 144, the government is duty-bound to include workers and employers as their social partners in critical bodies such as this," they stressed.

Aside from violating the "spirit of the ILO-HLTM to address violations of freedom of association in a tripartite manner," EO 23's inter-agency committee also falls short of the workers' demand, APTU said.

"What we have been asking for since January when the ILO-HLTM arrived, is a presidential commission that would oversee the full realization of all the recommendations of the ILO, including the urgent need to look into the killings of 69 trade unionists from 2016 to April this year," they said.

"Also, regarding the hundreds of direct attacks on the right to freedom of association such as red-tagging that have led to abductions, enforced disappearances, forced disaffiliation and trumped-up charges against trade union leaders and organizers," the trade unions further said.

In January, the ILO-HLTM asked for a joint tripartite report on the progress made on their recommendations by the next International Labor Conference (ILC) starting on June 5, according to APTU.

"Barely two weeks before the deadline set by the ILO-HLTM to report on the progress on the recommendations, the government has nothing concrete to show at the ILO's ILC in June, except the killing of another trade unionist, Alex Dolorosa of the BPO Industry Employees Network," the group said.

At the forum, Julius Cainglet of the FFW and Mark Villena of the TUCP said that the government is in danger of being called out again by the ILC for being in the list of the worst cases of violators of freedom of association and other trade union rights.

"It is also set to be included in the International Trade Union Confederation's Top 10 Worst Places for Workers to live in. All these would have dire effects on our economy," the APTU representatives said.

"Being labeled once again as one of the Top 10 Worst Countries for workers could also cancel all the efforts of the current administration to woo investors into the country," they warned.- By William B. Depasupil and Arlie O. Calalo