Except for Duterte, leading candidates for the presidential race signs contract to end contractualization

​Jejomar Binay,Grace Poe and Mar Roxas


Three days before the elections, three presidential candidates signed a contract with a coalition of labor federations and workers' organizations calling for the repeal of the notorious and rampant contractual work scheme in the country.

"We have the signatures of Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, and Jejomar Binay conforming to workers' clamor to repeal contractualization work scheme in the country. While only 3 of the 5 presidential candidates have formally signed our proposed 'anti-endo contract,' we are elated that ending contractualization work scheme is among the primary social issues that is being advocated by all the 'presidentiables,' which will influence the outcome of the May 9 national elections," the NAGKAISA labor coalition said in its statement.

By affixing their signatures, the 3 candidates have signified their commitment to fight contractualization. "Regardless of who among them wins, the minority president has a binding agreement with the majority – the Filipino working people. NAGKAISA will engage the new leadership to ensure that she/he will live up to their promise to end Endo," the group said.

Unfortunately, Rodrigo Duterte' did not sign the document. "This puts into question his sincerity in fighting contractualization," NAGKAISA said.

Also known as "endo" (end of contract) or "5-5-5" jobs, this contractual work arrangement is characterized by hiring employees for only five months without security of tenure, paid with unlawful wages and without social protection benefits and privileges compared to what regular workers receive.

Both Grace Poe and Jejomar Binay signed the agreement committing themselves to, "Certify as urgent and enact the Security of Tenure bills both for the private and the public sectors as championed in the outgoing 16th congress by Representatives Raymond Mendoza, Walden Bello and Leah Paquiz."

Mar Roxas agreed to, "Certify as urgent and enact the Security of Tenure Bill to protect workers' rights from unfair contractualization," but added that he would "study and develop flexible and lawful work arrangements to adapt to the needs of employees and employers, thereby securing humane working conditions and encouraging the creation of jobs."

The Security of Tenure Bill referred to has been languishing in Congress for more than a decade now.

NAGKAISA considers contractualization as a modern day work slavery whereby workers toil to enrich their employers but are paid with measly wages, without Social Security System (SSS), Philhealth and Pag-IBIG protection benefits, cramp in risky workplaces and without security of tenure.

Aside from ending contractualization, other issues presidential candidates have agreed with NAGKAISA are providing for living wage, ensuring quality public services, reforming workplace labor inspection, ensuring the working poor's right to the city, realizing full employment before the end of six years, among others.

The NAGKAISA is a coalition of 49 labor centers, federations, and workers' organizations including big labor groups such as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), National Confederation of Labor (MCL), National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU), Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Associated Labor Unions (ALU).

Nagkaisa dares presidentiables to sign contract to stop ‘Endo’

THE NAGKAISA Labor Coalition said it would send out a contract to the presidential candidates to commit themselves to ending contractualization.

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This "single, active contract" to be sent this week will "bind whoever wins rather than the five presidentiables dividing our ranks this coming election," Nagkaisa in a statement on Wednesday said.

The labor coalition is composed of 49 federations and worker organizations, whose leaders joined a press conference yesterday.

The coalition said the candidates' response to the contract would be released after May 1, in an effort to guide the electorate as to how the presidentiables stand on this matter which has become a key campaign issue.

Nagkaisa said if the candidates do not sign the contract, it would persuade people not to vote for them. But if they do sign, the respective positions on contractualization would still be checked if they are realistic.

The contract outlines eight points the next president should agree on: the end of contractualization, wages suitable to a reasonable standard of living, quality public services, reforming the labor compliance system, the poor's right to the city including criminalizing demolitions, realization of full employment by the end of the next president's term, regular political dialogues, and "an office... equivalent to a cabinet rank presidential adviser on labor concerns."

Nagkaisa said it would no longer rely on Congress to pass a security of tenure bill and would instead count on the next president, with his or her authority to issue executive orders.

The group plans to pass two bills, one for the private sector and another for the public. They said the latter is still in the works.

Josua Mata, secretary-general of the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, attributed Nagkaisa's failed dialogue with the Aquino administration to the President's opposition to the security of tenure bill.

"He was claiming that [with] the security of tenure bill, if passed into law, 10 million workers would lose their jobs," Mr. Mata said in a phone interview.

For his part, Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of Nagkaisa, said in a phone interview, said the coalition does not have the capacity to do the survey ourselves," but estimates there are 25 to 30 million contractuals in the country.

"Naniniwala kami na [We believe that] the government has an official survey on the number of contractual workers in the country pero hindi nila binibigay sa amin, hindi nila shini-share sa amin kasi [but they are not sharing it because] I think the picture is very, very alarming, very grave, or sa tingin namin [or as we see it,] it concerns a national security already," he said.- By Roy Stephen C. Canivel / BusinessWorld Online

Labor groups push for ‘just transition’ in March for Climate Justice

Echoing the view of global trade unions that a shift to lower carbon economy is not just necessary but inevitable to address the worsening climate crisis, the coalition of labor groups Nagkaisa marched with multisectoral groups in the March for Climate Justice held in Quezon City this morning.

The group denounces corporate greed for spawning both a humanitarian and environmental crisis as manifested in the intensification of exploitative working conditions and the acceleration of climate change.

“When corporations rule under the framework of unlimited greed, workers endure the worst kind of exploitation. And when climate crisis worsened as tons of carbon are emitted into the atmosphere by oil and energy companies, mining and other hard industries, everyone suffers the brunt most particularly the poor people living in most vulnerable countries like the Philippines,” said Nagkaisa in a statement.

The group pointed out that while the country is less in carbon emission, her position of vulnerability can generate a powerful voice for demanding climate justice during negotiations.

“Unfortunately our government tailgated weakly behind the US position of simply having Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) process instead of playing hardball in pressing a return to binding cuts based on science and common but differential responsibility and which will limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” lamented Nagkaisa.

The group said that even with INDC process and actual submissions, the UNEP still anticipates a 4-6 degrees Celsius, rendering the COP ineffective.

Workers were also apprehensive of the fact that while governments are active in climate negotiations, the next one in Paris next week, most of them didn’t have a clear framework on how to fine-tune this transition to lower carbon economy in a manner acceptable to the people.

Nagkaisa is pushing the framework for a ‘just transition’ which promotes social justice and employment, requires active government intervention, and demands proportionate responsibility from all stakeholders, including business.

“The Philippines, for instance, has not explicitly declared a timeline to when fossil-fuelled power plants are finally phased out so that the transition is clearly plotted in favour of renewable energy and the creation of climate jobs,” the group said.

The coalition believes further that thousands of climate jobs can be created in the country in the shift to renewable energy, disaster response and building climate resilient communities that includes resettlement in climate-proof buildings and housing projects, as well as the greening of mass transport system.

“Funding is main requirement for this shift. In climate negotiations, the rich industrial nations must be made responsible in funding the transition of most vulnerable nations,” the group added.

Meanwhile, Nagkaisa said transition policies should not, in any way, transgress into the framework of decent work since regular job and social security help build the resiliency of many people against the wrath of Mother Nature.

COALITION OF 49 LABOR GROUPS URGES PUBLIC TO BOYCOTT LUCIO TAN OWNED PHILIPPINE AIRLINES

The Nagkaisa (United), the biggest labor coalition of labor groups and workers organizations from private and public sectors is urging the public to boycott businessman Lucio Tan owned Philippine Airlines (PAL) for embarking on another round of mass layoff, this most recent involve 117 employees working at domestic airports across the country.

It can be recalled that in 2011, more than 2,000 PAL employees lost their regular jobs when Lucio Tan implemented his outsourcing program. PALEA members resisted the outsourcing program until the labor dispute was finally resolved through a Settlement Agreement in 2013. Said Agreement has yet to be fully complied by PAL.

“We are urging our fellow countrymen travelling locally, our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), balikbayans and our friends in all non-government organizations and civil society organizations to boycott Lucio Tan’s Philippine Airlines (PAL) and temporarily cease patronizing its international and domestic passenger and cargo services until he recognizes the sanctity of PAL’s collective bargaining agreement as well as the settlement agreement with Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) and respect for its workers’ rights,” Nagkaisa said in a statement.

The newly retrenched employees were called to a meeting on September 2 and handed on the spot their termination papers and told not to report for work anymore and were immediately replaced by agency-hired workers. This prompted PALEA members to hold mass mobilizations the following week at PAL main office at the PNB Building in Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City and at its various offices around the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in protest of the layoffs.

During its annual stockholders meeting held August 27 last month, management reported that PAL earned a total comprehensive income of US$20.4 million for the year 2014. Its main expenses were the purchase of more aircrafts and cost of jet fuel.

The same report said that in 2014 PAL ferried 9.6 million passengers on 73,685 flights during the year compared to only 5 million in 2013 while cargo also largely contributed to the income by carrying 162 million kilograms compared to 94.3 million kilograms in 2013— with increased domestic international flights from the US, Canada, Asia and the Middle East.

“Mr. Tan wants to improve his margin of profits further immediately upon wresting majority ownership of PAL from San Miguel Corporation in September last year by laying off anew its workers and their livelihood. But the coalition of labor groups within Nagkaisa will not allow Mr. Tan’s cruel disregard of PAL workers’ right to security of tenure and his brazen disrespect to its agreement. The coalition vows its full support to affected PALEA members and to all other PAL workers. We enjoin with the union’s fight for regular jobs and respect for collective bargaining agreement,” Nagkaisa said.

The coalition said the call to boycott PAL services is a peaceful and strong way of the general public’s expression of outrage over the anti-labor practice of Mr. Tan. It is also to remind Mr. Tan that firing company regular workers without due process is grave injustice and backing out from agreement is serious moral and legal misconduct.