SONA 2013 July 22

Pre-SONA rally at Makati July 18, 2013

Filipino workers join international action on Turkey; Calls on Turkish PM to yield to people’s demand

Filipino workers held a rally near the Turkish Embassy inside a plush village in Makati this morning to call on the government in Ankara to stop the violence against protesters and yield to its citizens’ legitimate demands.

A group of workers belonging to the NAGKAISA!, the largest coalition of trade unions and workers organizations, briefly scuffled with the security guards of Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village gates in EDSA, Makati City, after the former attempted to enter the exclusive neighborhood to get to the Embassy of Turkey.

NAGKAISA!, thru a scathing letter to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, called for an end to the brutal repression of the Ankara government against its protesters in Gezi Park and other parts of Turkey.

“Together with the global labor movement, we are concerned at the use of brutal and excessive violence by government security forces against people peacefully exercising their rights of freedom of assembly, an essential part of freedom of expression… We are concerned that your Government engages in such repression as a regular practice based on earlier episodes. Still fresh in our minds is this year’s May Day Celebrations, which were supposed to take place in Taksim Square in Istanbul. “

The letter also demanded for the following:

The Government in Ankara should put an end to state violence against peaceful demonstrators and ensure that the right of freedom of expression and assembly is guaranteed in all public areas of Turkey.
Those responsible for the thousands of injured people and the deaths of Mehmet Ayval?ta?, Abdullah Cömert, Ethem Sar?sülük and Mustafa Sar? should be held accountable, dismissed from their posts and prosecuted before the law.

Detained citizens who attended the protests across the country should be immediately released with an official statement declaring that there will not be any investigations pursued into them.
All the legal and practical barriers against the exercise of trade union rights are removed and the right to strike is respected

KESK trade unionists, detained journalists and all others unjustly held for legitimate acts of protests and opposition should be released immediately.

“We are all Turks!,” stated Edwn Bustillos, Deputy Secretary-General of the Alliance of Progressive Labor-NAGKAISA. Bustillos, a speaker at the rally, condemned the corporate grab of parks in Turkey and other parts of the world, and the criminalization of those who protest against it.

” ‘Good Job’ means a Regular Job with Good Pay “

25,000 WORKERS MARCH TO MENDIOLA ON LABOR DAY;
SENATORIABLES VOW TO FIGHT FOR SECURITY OF TENURE

Chiding President Aquino’s pronouncement that Labor Day should be celebratory with both labor and capitalists greeting each other for “doing a good job” for the past year, workers renewed the call for government to create “not just jobs” but “more regular jobs with living wage.”

Some 25,000 workers under NAGKAISA labor coalition marched from UST to Chino Roces bridge in Manila.

They were joined by senatorial candidates Risa Hontiveros, Ricardo Penson, Allan Peter Cayetano, and Eddie Villanueva, who also signed a pact with the workers vowing to fight for security of tenure, adoption of a living wage, cheaper electric rates, promotion of labor rights in the public sector.

Other candidates have also expressed their willingness to fight for the cause, but have not confirmed for the march are Loren Legarda, Grace Poe – Llamanzares, Jamby Madrigal and JV Ejercito.

Edwin Bustillos, deputy secretary-general of the Alliance of Progressive Labor and co-convenor of NAGKAISA: “Yes, the President listened to our grievances yesterday,” referring to Pres Aquino’s dialogue with labor leaders in Malacanang, “but his mind was set on turning down most of our demands.”

The President has said that he can’t push for the passage of the Security of Tenure bill now pending in Congress because it would negatively affect more workers.

“(Pres Aquino) must be thinking that most Filipino workers are happy with their condition in the workplace — they are not. Most employees are under short term contracts, they are considered casuals or contractuals, whose jobs can be terminated at the whim of their employers and not given any benefits,” says Renato Magtubo, chairperson of Partido Manggagawa coalition.

Vic Balais, President of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines – PTGWO and co-convenor of NAGKAISA: “We call on all Filipino workers to begin the push of expanding the number of regular workers. The labor code has been bastardized by capitalists to the detriment of the workers, by promoting casualization and contractualization.”

The 250,000-strong NAGKAISA, is the largest nation-wide coalition of various labor organizations in the Philippines.

NAGKAISA encompasses the widest spectrum of colors and persuasions — from the leftist Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Partido Manggagawa (PM), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (Makabayan) to the moderate Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and Federation of Filipino Workers (FFW), the labor centers National Confederation of Labor (NCL) and SENTRO, to the public sector unions Caucus of Independent Unions (CIU), Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA), Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), ang many other federations.

NAGKAISA FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nagkaisa/421413561266645