Workers take a stand; support for Leni swells from the ground

The groundswell of support for the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo got a huge lift today as leaders of trade unions and workers associations from workplaces and communities around the country and overseas went all out to declare their support.

The Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni Robredo #ALL4Leni in an online Workers Assembly Friday morning adopted its Labor Agenda anchored on Ayuda, Karapatan, Kalusugan, Kasarinlan, Kababaihan, Pampublikong Serbisyo and Pondo or AKAP. The workers believe that Robredo is in the best position to pursue the Labor Agenda with workers based on her track record, statements and official actions.

At an online press conference following the Workers Assembly, #ALL4Leni announced that more than 200 leaders of trade unions and workers associations have signed up for their manifesto, “Pahayag ng Pagkakaisa ng #ALL4Leni” which details the Labor Agenda and the endorsement of Robredo.

“Filipino workers continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic and the negligence and incompetence of the Duterte Administration,” #ALL4Leni said.

The workers group launched a new #ALL4Leni Music Video,” that comes with an original composition of one of the convenors of the group. It also set up a Facebook page to coordinate its campaign.

“The Covid response of the Duterte Administration is one of the worst in the world. It is mostly a police response to the health, economic and employment crisis. We always end up with lockdowns, while government does not provide enough ayuda amidst inadequate social protection schemes,” #ALL4Leni said.

Among others, the group is calling for a monthly ayuda of P10,000.00.

“Workers do not deserve to suffer six more years of the same brand of politics. The reign of Duterte and his minions must come to an end,” #ALL4Leni said.

“We will gather more workers’ groups in the coming days to convince both Leni and the Filipino people that there is a fighting chance for a Robredo presidency,” #ALL4Leni said.

Labor coalition bats for regular ayuda amid pandemic new normal

The Nagkaisa labor coalition on Saturday said the government, as well as the political wannabes for the 2022 elections, must now consider instituting a universal and regular form of assistance for every Filipino household amid the persisting pandemic condition and economic recession.

The call was made on the day the quarantine status of the National Capital Region (NCR) and several other areas were lowered down to MECQ despite the highest infection rate recorded a day earlier at 17,231.

“Kahit ang mga eksperto at LGUs ay ipinaubaya na lahat sa Palasyo at IATF desisyon kaya’t hirap at parusa lamang ang babalikan ng ating mga manggagawa. At dahil ang lockdown at ayuda ay magkakambal na usapin, mas makabubuti na magkaroon na ng regular na sistema ng ayuda para sa lahat sa halip na paulit-ulit lamang binabago ang kategorya ng kwarantin. Dahil kung ang pandemya ay pangmatagalan na, ganoon din dapat ang ayuda o sa mas lagpas pang pangangailangan,” said Nagkaisa Chairperson Sonny Matula.

Nagkaisa had been pushing for P10,000 income guarantees for displaced workers and 100-day employment guarantees for the unemployed since the onset of the pandemic, but the government is only able to provide P1,000 subsidy for qualified beneficiaries. The group is now building the widest consensus and solid arguments behind this call for basic income, a measure that it said, “would address many issues such as aggregate demand, employment, chronic poverty, and hunger.”

Basic income, Matula said will also form part of workers electoral agenda.

“Hindi pwedeng paikot-ikot na lamang tayo sa problemang ito. Hindi rin pwedeng gawing permanenteng dahilan ang kakapusan ng pondo dahil may paraan din para dito,” said Matula, adding that universal social protection programs like what is being proposed can be funded through a wealth tax or from what others described as ‘solidarity tax’.

Matula said workers, “for lack of better choice, have braved the risks of infection and even deaths, travel hazards, lost income, unemployment, and worsening working conditions one year and a half under the pandemic. But living with the same menu under the same regime for the next six years is untenable.”

NAGKAISA Commends COA for Making Duterte Admin Accountable

The biggest labor coalition in the country and its affiliated healtcare workers’ federations congratulate the Commission on Audit for doing its constitutional duty.

What’s tragic is, Mr. Duterte opted to throw tantrums over the COA report rather than do the right thing – correct the problems and ensure HCWs are properly cared for…. We definitely deserve a real leader!

“We are grateful to and must commend the Commission on Audit for flagging the DOH and other agencies for the unutilized funds, particularly so that many of health frontliners did not receive their risk allowance and those who died due to CoVID-19 who, until now, their survivors have been waiting for their survivorship benefits under the Bayanihan 1 and 2, ” said Willy Pulia of the Makati Medical Center Employees’ Union-AFW-SENTRO.

NAGKAISA holds that COA is merely doing its job under the law. President Duterte is out of sync of the rule of law when he criticized COA for doing its mandate. Under the fundamental law, COA has the primary function to examine, audit and settle all accounts and expenditures of the funds and properties of the government including all its agencies and instrumentalities.

“Sec Duque had asserted that all funds are accounted for but many of our healthcare workers from different hospitals have not yet received their CoVid Special Risk Allowance (SRA) from DOH”, said Manuel Payao RN, Chair of Trade Feferation 8 of the Federation of Free Workers.

The Nagkaisa had several dialogues with DOLE and one with DOH but this problem of non-payment of SRA has no answer but a refrain of “no fund yet” or “wait muna for some time” yet we have unspent P24B of CoVID funds, Payao who is also the union president of UERM Medical Center Employees Union-FFW added.

NAGKAISA observed that many of our HCWs are demoralized due to discrimination or selective giving of SRA to frontliners. There is need to eliminate the designation of “red” and “green” areas to avoid discrimination as all in the hospital are exposed to the virus, particularly so that CoVID-19 is airborne.

NAGKAISA calls for the passage of Bayanihan 3 and the liberal interpretation of the law in favor of the workers.

Likewise, same hazard pay for workers in public and private hospitals in time of pandemic. And additional quarantine leaves at least 10 days minimum for HCWs who have been affected by the CoVID-19 virus.

Biggest Workers’ Group Reiterates Call for Ayudang Sapat; Urges Senate to Act with Dispatch on Bayanihan 3

As Metro Manila and nearby provinces are gearing for an ECQ extension with the increasing number of infection and new variants of COVID-19 being detected in the country, the biggest labor coalition NAGKAISA argued that economic and employment recovery remains a challenge and ayudang sapat is an urgent imperative.

In the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) meeting, where workers’, employers’ and government representatives met this morning, the tripartite partners endorsed the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 9411 or the Bayanihan to Arise as One Act (Bayanihan 3) to the Senate for speedy deliberation and approval. The proposal is allocating P405-billion for government interventions to address the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate the country’s recovery

The NAGKAISA lauds the consensus of the members of the NTIPC who fully support the legislation of additional mechanisms
to accelerate economic recovery from the pandemic and to continue the income guarantee for displaced or disadvantaged workers and wage subsidy for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

NAGKAISA joins the NTIPC in strongly urging the government to adopt massive vaccination of workers, provision of paid skills training, strategic employment facilitation, strong public health system, financial incentives for private enterprises
retaining their employees, improved public transportation, and upgraded digital infrastructure as key to restoring jobs and building back better our economy.

NTIPC is supporting the Enactment of Additional Mechanisms to Accelerate COVID-19 Recovery and Bolster the Resiliency of the Philippine Economy.

Among the 40 representatives present coming from the workers’ and employers’ groups were, namely: Associated Labor Union- TUCP, Federation of Free Workers, National Confederation of Unions in Sugar Workers in the Philippines, Philippine Transport and General Workers-TUCP, Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Management Association of the Philippines, Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries, among others.

 

NAGKAISA Calls for Investigation on Industrial Fire

The biggest labor coalition in the Philippines calls for DOLE to investigate with dispatch on an industrial fire that killed an unidentified person and injured one more in Valenzuela City at dawn today.

One person killed while working is one too many not to be noticed. The Kentex fire in Valenzuela is still fresh in our minds.

The Secretary of Labor or his responsible regional director, as overall responsible for the implementation of our new Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Law, should act and act with dispatch in the execise of his visitorial and enforcement powers on labor standards, including OSH

Nagkaisa recalls that a fierce blaze took hold of Kentex Manufacturing’s slipper factory in the same city in 2015 which claimed the lives of 74 workers prompting Congress to enact RA 11058 or the new OSH Law.

We can’t continue killing workers in industrial workplace which is preventable by observing health and safety measures.

As the NCR is under ECQ, it should also be established if the packaging plant is clandestinely operating or not since the lockdown non-essential industries from operating until August 20.

Also, it needs to be investigated if there is a working and functional OSH Committee in the enterprise, that would have addressed the hazards in the workplace. Workers must be ably represented in these OSH Committees in all enterprises.

The Kentex fire was the worst factory fire the Philippines has ever seen. Only 45 of more than 100 workers escaped from the blaze.