Monday, April 23, 2012

Sigaw sa Mayo 1: Regular na Trabaho, Umento sa Sahod, Mababang Presyo


Noong kalagitnaan ng Marso, sa harap ng isang pulong ng mga negosyante ay nanawagan si Pangulong Benigno Aquino III na maging prayoridad ng mga kapitalista ang kagalingan ng mga manggagawa. Tinawag nating “Noy-ngaling” si PNoy dahil kabaliktaran ang kanyang salita ng kanyang gawa. Kung totoong tagapagtanggol ng karapatan at kagalingan ng manggagawa si PNoy ay dapat tinutulan sa halip na sinang-ayunan niya ang tanggalan at kontraktwalisasyon sa Philippine Airlines (PAL). Di lang Noynoying si PNoy kundi Noy-ngaling pa.

Ang darating na Mayo 1 ay ikawalang selebrasyon na ng Araw ng Manggagawa sa ilalim ni PNoy. Noong nakaraang Mayo 1 ay tinuligsa natin siya sa pagpanig sa tanggalan at kontraktwalisasyon sa PAL. Sa kasalukuyan ay dapat nating usigin ang kanyang administrasyon sa patuloy na pagsisinungaling at pagtatraydor sa interes ng manggagawa na pinangakuan niyang ituring na boss.

Ganunpaman, sa harap ng patuloy na pag-iilusyon ng maraming Pilipino sa pamumuno ni PNoy, kasabay ng matalas na propaganda ng pag-usig ay dapat mapakilos ang masang manggagawa sa kagyat na mga kahilingang dapat tugunan ng gobyerno.

Sa Mayo 1, ang ating kagyat na kahilingan ay proteksyon sa regular na trabaho, pagtaas ng sweldo, at pagbaba ng presyo ng kuryente’t langis. Ito ay mga kahilingang nakatuon sa gobyerno ni PNoy upang tugunan at aksyunan. Bukod dito, mangangalampag din tayo sa pagbabago ng patakaran ng liberalisasyon, deregulasyon at pribatisasyon. Gayundin mananawagan tayo ng pagrereporma ng labor justice system.

Ang kampanya para sa regular na trabaho ay napapanatiling buhay ng patuloy na paglaban ng PALEA sa kontraktwalisasyon anim na buwan matapos ang tanggalan. Ang pagbenta ng minority share ng PAL sa San Miguel at pagpapalit ng management ay nagbubukas ng oportunidad para sa resolusyon ng labor dispute.

Pero di pa man nagtatagumpay ang PALEA na maibalik sa trabaho ang mga tinanggal ay naobliga na ang Department of Labor na maglabas ng kautusan kaugnay ng subcontracting. Pinahigpit ang mga rekisitos sa ligal na kontraktwalisasyon at hayagang kinilala na dapat tumanggap ng mga benepisyo ang mga kontraktwal at maari pang magtayo ng unyon. Ganunpaman, pinapanatiling ligal ng DO 18-A ang karamihan ng porma ng kontraktwalisasyon na sanhi ng pagkawasak ng regular na trabaho pati pagkadurog ng mga unyon.

Kumpara sa DO 18-A, hamak na mas mahigpit ang Security of Tenure (SOT) bill na nakasampa sa Kongreso at naglalayong limitahan ang laganap na kontraktwalisasyon. Gayong wala na sa kamay ni PNoy ang kaso ng PALEA, dapat pa rin siyang itulak na gawing priority legislation ang SOT bill.

Umiinit na naman muli ang usapin ng pagtaas ng sahod bunga walang tigil na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, at kasunod nito ang pasahe’t iba pang batayang pangangailangan. May nagsampa na ng petisyon sa regional wage boards. Sa kabilang banda, nakaamba na ipasa ng House Labor Committee ang panukalang legislated across-the-board wage hike. Malayo pa bago ito maipasang batas pero binibigyang diin nito ang kakagyatan ng umento sa sahod.

Tinanggihan na ni PNoy ang pagtaas ng sahod sa katwirang walang supervening event o grabeng inflation. Ang ganitong Noynoying o kawalang aksyon ni PNoy ay dapat mabatikos habang ineengganyo ang pagkakaisa ng labor groups sa pagsusulong ng pagtaas ng sahod sa anumang porma ito makakamit.

Ang patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis sa pandaigdigang pamilihan ay mangangahulugan na ibayo pang magliliyab ang usapin ng oil price hike. Pero di ibig sabihin nito na walang magagawa si PNoy kundi mag-Noynoying sa harap ng umaarangkadang global oil prices. Ang pagtatanggal ng VAT sa mga produktong petrolyo ay isang kagyat na hakbang na maaring isagawa. Ang pagrerepaso ng oil deregulation law ay isa na ring buhay na usapin at maaring igiit ang pagbabalik ng price control sa langis bukod sa pagsasabansa ng Petron.

Katulad ng mataas na presyo ng langis, ang mahal na gastusin sa kuryente ay isang ring mabigat na pasanin ng manggagawa at maralita. Ipinagkikibit-balikat lang ng gobyerno ang problemang ito habang tinitiis ng taumbayan ang pasakit na ito. Oras nang repasuhin ang EPIRA o ang deregulasyon at pribatisasyon ng power industry.

Ang deregulasyon at pribatisasyon ng langis at kuryente ay mga matingkad na halimbawa ng delubyong dala ng globalisasyon. Sa kabilang banda, ang liberalisasyon ng ekonomiya ay nagresulta sa pagsasara ng umaabot sa 3,000 empresa bawat taon sa nakalipas na isang dekada at pagkawala ng trabaho ng daan-daang libong manggagawa. Ang hatid ng globalisasyon ay pagguho ng lokal na industriya at agrikultura sa halip na progreso at pag-unlad. Malinaw na ngayon na perwisyo kaysa benepisyo ang dulot ng imperyalistang globalisasyon. Panahon nang ibandila ang panawagan ng pagbabago ng pang-ekonomiyang patakaran.

Kasabay nito dapat maibando ang pagrereporma ng labor justice system. Ang mapait na kapalaran ng flight attendants ng PAL ay nabigyang pokus ng impeachment trial ni Chief Justice Corona. Kapalit ng platinum card ay inimpluwensyahan ni Corona ang pagbawi ng paborableng desisyon sa kaso ng FASAP.

Isang matingkad na halimbawa lang ito kung paano nabibili ng mga kapitalista ang mga husgado at nababaluktot ang hustisya. Kung ang bilyunaryong gaya ni Lucio Tan ay nagagawang impluwensyahan ang Chief Justice ng Korte Suprema, ganundin namamanipula ng mga kapitalista ang arbiters ng NLRC, mediators ng DOLE/NCMB at judges ng mga RTC at Court of Appeals. Di nakakagulat na ang ordinaryong manggagawa ay napipilitang i-areglo ang mga kaso kapalit ng barya kasya mabitag sa mga pasilyo ng labor justice system.

Ang labor unity na nagkahugis sa laban ng PALEA ay maaring punla ng pagkakaisa para isulong ang mga kagyat at pangmatagalang kahilingan. Ang kampanya sa Mayo Uno ay ekstensyon at kontinwasyon ng laban kontra kontraktwalisasyon. Ang malawak na pagkakaisa ng kilusang paggawa ang magbibigay pwersa at magbabasbas ng kredibilidad sa kampanyang Mayo Uno.

Maaga nang nasimulan ang kampanyang Mayo Uno sa pamamagitan ng Kalbaryo ng Manggagawa at Maralita. Pero di dapat magtapos ang kampanya sa isang pagkilos sa Mayo Uno. Ang mga kagyat na kahilingan ay di basta maipapanalo sa Araw ng Manggagawa. At di rin dapat magkasya sa simpleng pagsisigaw ng mga islogan sa Mayo Uno. Ang susunod na yugto at lundo ng laban ay ang pagbubukas ng Kongreso sa Hulyo at SONA ni PNoy. Ang mga kahilingang nangangailangan ng executive action ni PNoy ay maaring ang pokus ng Mayo Uno samantalang ang ibang obligado ang legislative measures ay maari namang tutukan sa SONA.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

PALEA ok’s CA mediation, calls on PAL to reinstate workers


Press Release
April 21, 2012                 
PALEA

The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) yesterday submitted a manifestation to the Court of Appeals (CA) expressing its willingness to participate in mediation to seek a settlement to the labor dispute. “The new management of Philippine Airlines (PAL) should recognize that the solution to the flag carrier’s woes involves not only need a refleeting of its aging aircraft but more so the reinstatement of its skilled regular workers,” declared Gerry Rivera, PALEA president.

The CA Tenth Division in a resolution dated March 27, 2012, asked the parties to the case docketed as CA G.R. SP No. 120977, if they are willing to have the issue referred to the Philippine Mediation Center-Court of Appeals for “a final opportunity to explore the possibility of coming up with an amicable settlement of their dispute.” The parties were given 10 days from receipt of the resolution to file their manifestations.

Rivera explained that “PALEA considers the CA’s mediation offer as an opening to end the labor row which could not happened without the perseverance in protest by some 2,000 of our members for more than six months and in the face of three typhoons, two attacks on its campout and spending the Christmas holidays at the picketlines. The CA resolution further spurs us to continue the protest actions until we have finally won our demands.”

In the coming Labor Day celebrations, among the issues to be raised is the recall of retrenched PALEA members in particular and the protection of job security in general. Meanwhile a leader of the Qantas engineers union is on a solidarity visit and has spoken at the PALEA protest camp in the last few days about concrete support in the fight against outsourcing. The visit follows a two-week solidarity tour of Australia by the PALEA vice president and an officer of Partido ng Manggagawa to solicit moral and material support for PALEA.

Rivera is also scheduled to go on another two-week tour this time of the United States. He will attend a May Day forum in Washington DC and then proceed to ChicagoSan Francisco andHonolulu to meet labor unions and Filipino-American groups about PALEA’s struggle.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

"The struggle of PALEA is the struggle of everyone”


By Jerome Small
“Ang laban ng PALEA ay laban ng lahat” – “The struggle of PALEA is the struggle of everyone”.
For over six months, more than 2,000 members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) have maintained a protest camp at Manila International Airport. This is a major regional dispute about outsourcing.
The workers have maintained their stand through four typhoons and two attacks by armed thugs. While they have yet to win their fight for regular jobs, their determined resistance has had a major impact on politics and the workers’ struggle in the Philippines and beyond.
Owned by the second richest man in the Philippines, Lucio Tan, Philippine Airlines (PAL) reported a profit of $US72 million last financial year. But not content with this return, PAL proposed an “outsourcing” scheme involving all of its ground staff – baggage handlers, check in staff, catering staff, technical workers and call centre workers.
Workers would have to reapply for their old jobs with “new” service providers (in fact, these companies are connected to Lucio Tan’s family or business associates) – often at a salary of half or even less their former rate. The workers would lose their job security and their seniority.
Because of the way Philippines labour law works, the outsourced workers would not be eligible to join PALEA. In fact, this “outsourcing” scam is one of the key ways that the ruling class in the Philippines has successfully busted union after union over the last twenty years. Perhaps emboldened by this, PAL management thought the workers and their union would quickly fold.
The workers, however, had other ideas.
On 27 September last year, PALEA members attended their work stations but refused to leave. In dramatic scenes, union members were physically ejected from the terminal by security and riot police. Once out of the terminal, the workers set up a protest camp on airport grounds, which, for the last six months, has been the centre of the workers’ resistance to outsourcing.
The protest camp has served over the months as a kitchen, a medical clinic, and the scene of parties for Halloween,Christmas and more. The camp has also been a base for the very regular protests that PALEA members conduct at the Court of Appeal, which is considering their case, as well as the Congress and Senate, the Department of Labor and Employment, and in the streets of Manila.
After the first few days, PAL was able to get back in the air. But over 2,000 experienced workers have refused to sign over to the new outsourced service providers, and there has been a widespread boycott of PAL in solidarity with the workers. From a profit, PAL has plunged to a loss, having to offer heavily discounted tickets to boost a slump in passenger loads.
Many of the senior managers at PAL have paid for this crisis in the airline with their jobs. In early April Lucio Tan sold a major stake in PAL to the giant Philippines conglomerate the San Miguel Corporation, who have replaced most of the top management involved in the outsourcing scheme.
San Miguel is no stranger to attacks on workers rights – it has been calculated that, for every hundred contract workers in a San Miguel enterprise, there are only 25 regular, direct employees. But the change in management represents at least a potential shift in the dispute, and is a testament to the strength of the workers’ resistance.
The effect of PALEA’s resistance goes beyond the airline itself, however. In a clear response to the struggle at PAL, the Department of Labor in the Philippines has been compelled to issue new guidelines covering contractual employees.
These new regulations are designed to stop workers being employed on rolling five month contracts, a common device for bosses to avoid permanent employment with the rights that brings to the employee. Of course the strength of these new regulations has yet to be tested in the courts, and will be worth nothing unless backed by union organisation, but it is a sign that the political establishment is under some pressure.
Political life in the Philippines this year has been dominated by the long-running impeachment of Chief Justice Corona of the Supreme Court. While much of this affair has the feel of a falling out between different factions with the ruling elite, the PAL dispute has also featured.
The Chief Justice and his wife were both holders of Philippine Airlines platinum cards allowing unlimited business class travel. PAL markets these cards to its business clients with the slogan “for friends of the boss”. It seems that Corona was just that last year when, after a torturous 13-year legal process, 1,400 flight attendants won an unfair dismissal suit against PAL. Within a month, and without a hearing, the Supreme Court decided to put aside its own decision on the basis of a supposed minor technicality pointed out by Lucio Tan’s lawyer!
When the courts and the political system can be bought and sold so easily, it’s clear that justice can only be won by our side’s strength and organisation. As well as the vibrant and long-running protest camp, PALEA has inspired support from unions all over the fractured political scene of the Philippines, as well as beyond in the church and civil society organisations.
International solidarity has been a feature of the dispute. The industrial traditions of solidarity are well established in the global maritime industry – as seen recently in the outpouring of support for wharfies in the Port of Auckland. In civil aviation, however, the other great global transport network, there is a lot still to be done. In this respect, PALEA is leading by example, protesting for the Qantas workers last year, for the Auckland wharfies in February, and in solidarity with the global Occupy movement.
A trip to Australia before Christmas from PALEA Vice President Alnem Pretencio raised over $10,000 to support for the picket camp over the holiday period. A recent return visit, with Wilson Fortaleza of the Labor Party of the Philippines, saw Alnem address hundreds of workers at Melbourne airport, the Sydney docks, and many other meetings.
International airlines such as Qantas and Philippine Airlines (PAL) are locked in cut throat competition in this most globalised industry. They are under constant pressure to boost profits at the expense of their workers. While our bosses preach competition, we have only one weapon in response – solidarity.
Given the very similar attacks on regular employment at workplaces around the world, given the identical but slower-moving attacks of Qantas management, given the recent focus on the problems of insecure work here in Australia, the reaction of so many workers to hearing the PALEA story was no surprise. It was as spontaneous as it was heart felt – The struggle of PALEA is the struggle of us all.