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Labor Day battlecry:

Workers call to stop
contractualization, low
wages
May.02,2016 EARL O. CONDEZA
(HTTP://DAVAOTODAY.COM/MAIN/AUTHOR/EARLOCONDEZA/)

BehindtheportraitofGermanphilosopherKarlMarx,laborleaderJoelMaglungsod,talksaboutthelaborsituation
inMindanaoandthewholePhilippinesduringthe130thInternationalLaborDayheldattheRizalParkinDavao
City.MaglungsodblamedcapitalismfortheworseningsituationofFilipinoworkers.(AceR.
Morandante/davaotoday.com)

DAVAOCITYFornineyears,LesterPilladoworksasacontractual
inafruitprocessingcompanyhere.
Lately,afriendpointedouttohimthatasalongtimeemployeeof
NakashinDavaoInc.,heshouldhaveenjoyedbenefitssuchassocial
securityandhealthinsurancethingswhichPilladoandhisco
workerswereunawareof.
PilladoandcolleaguesbroughttheissuetotheDepartmentofLabor
andEmployment(Dole).
Weaskedtobecomeregular(workers)butDoleignoredus,Pillado
said.
SincetheircomplaintattheDole,thecompanystartedfiring
employees,startingwith15workers.
OnApril8,NakashindismissedPilladoand74othersforrefusingto
signablankwaiverandquitclaimandtowritearesignationletterin
exchangeforP1,000.

exchangeforP1,000.
Pilladoisonlyoneofthetensofthousandsofcontractualandcasual
workerscomprising70percentofthe1.897millionlaborforceinthe
region.
KilusangMayoUnospokespersonCarloOlalohitDolefornot
ensuringthewelfareoftheworkersintheregion.
Ofthe70percentcontractualworkers,30percentofthemare
eligibletobegrantedwithregularstatus.Yet,theDole
representativeisforcingtheworkerstosignthequitclaimandto
remaincontractuals,Olaloclaimed.
UnderheLaborCodeinthePhilippinesinBookVIArticle280,
anemployeewhohasrenderedatleastoneyearofservice,
whethersuchserviceiscontinuousorbroken,shallbeconsidereda
regularemployeewithrespecttotheactivityinwhichheisemployed
andhisemploymentshallcontinuewhilesuchactivityexists.
HeaddedthattheDoleisnowcollaboratingwiththecapitalists
onsqueezinglaborofourworkersfortheirowninterestofhaving
morecapital.
Olalosaidmostcontractualworkersarefoundonserviceoriented
jobssuchascallcentersandBusinessProcessing
Outsource,salesladiesindifferentmalls,jobordersinports,and
someinagriculturalworkers.
Pillado,togetherwithKMU,calledforthetotalbanof
contractualizationduringtheLaborDaymarchhere,Sunday,May1.
Higherwage
Asidefromthebanningofcontractualization,thelaborgroupalso
calledforincreaseindailywagefromP317minimumwagetoP750.
Pillado,whoisafatherofthree,saidhisdailywageofP315isnot
enoughtomeettheirdailyneeds.
Sometimesweareforcedtoborrowmoneyjusttomeetourdaily
needs,hesaid.
Headdedthatinhisworkplace,notallearnlikehim.Asastart,you
willbeearningonlyP250anditwillbeaftersixmonthsthatyou
willreceivetheminimumwage,headded.
LaborDaymarch
PilladojoinedKMUand6,000workerswhomarkedLaborDay
commemorationMay1withamarchrally.

KMUsaidundertheAquinoadministrationthereisunparalleled
neglectofworkingpeopleleadingtomassivehunger,povertyand
statefascism.
ThelaborgroupisdemandingtoimplementaP750dailyNational
MinimumWageforallworkersintheprivatesector.
Accordingtoanindependentthinktank,IbonFoundation,thewage
hikeduringtheadministrationofPresidentBenignoAquinoIIIis
thesmallestsince1990s.
IbonsaidthatthenominalP77increaseoverthe

IbonsaidthatthenominalP77increaseoverthe
Aquinoadministrationssixyearswillbeequivalenttoanaverageof
justP12.83peryearwhichislessthantheaverageP16.35peryear
duringformerPresidentGloriaArroyosterm,P20.13during
PresidentEjercitoEstradasterm,andP13.33duringPresidentFidel
Ramossixyearsinpresidency.
ItisalsoonlyslightlymorethantheP12.79peryearoverthe
termofformerPresidentCoryAquino,Ibonsaid.
KMUsaidthatthereasonwhyworkersaredisadvantagedintheir
wagesandtenureisthattheiremploymentiscontrolledbylaws
whichpermitcontractualization(HerreraLaw,DOLEDepartment
Order18A)andregionalizationofwages(WageRationalization
Law).
Thesepoliciestrampleonworkersrightsandrenderthe
Constitutionsmandateoffullprotectiontolaborinutilebecausewe
arenowacountryofcontractuals,Olalosaid.
Hesaidthatthecurrentpracticeofwagefixinghaspreventedthe
workersfromenjoyingameaningfulwageincreasesincetheWage
RationalizationLawwaspassed.
Thelaborleaderaddedthatinfact,measlywageincreases
announcedbytheDepartmentofLaborandEmploymentaretoken
benefitsbecauseP5P15wageincreasesarerenderedinsignificant
withpriceincreases,inflationandthepeoplesconsistentlydeclining
purchasingpower.
Endingcontractualization
Olalosaidwhileallthepresidentialcandidatescalledforanendin
thecontractualization,thekeyistostopimplementingneoliberal
policies.
Wewelcomethetriumphoftheworkersinmaking
contractualizationaprimaryelectionissuethisyearbuttherelevant
questionreallyis,willanyofthepresidentbetsoverturnthepast
andpresentregimesadherencetoneoliberaldictateswhenitcomes
tolabor?Ifnot,thepromiseofendingcontractualizationremainsa
hollowone,hesaid.

Olalosaidunlessthegovernmentsobstinatelyneoliberaleconomic
orientationisscrapped,promisestoendcontractualizationwillnot
materialize.(davaotoday.com(http://davaotoday.com/))
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