ILO chief cites Cory's legacy to labor

The International Labor Organization (ILO) mourned the death of former President Corazon Aquino, describing her as a champion of workers’ and human rights.
But local workers and activists gave mixed reviews of Aquino’s legacy to labor.

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, in an August 5 communiqué sent to Malacañang, said that the United Nations (UN) agency joins the Filipino people in mourning the loss of an icon for democracy and social justice.

“With great dignity and courage, President Aquino drew strength from personal tragedy and confronted the challenge of championing democracy, progress and justice in the most difficult of circumstances,” Somavia said.

Somavia pointed out that ILO’s history “bears the stamp” of the late president. He noted that in 1988, Aquino was the first woman head of state to address the ILO gathering.
“She spoke of her vision of a just and dynamic social order where people could be freed from poverty through policies to provide social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living and an improved quality of life,” Somavia said.

”Her impassioned call to our organization to protect human rights, to promote development and justice still resonates. Her struggle was very much a struggle for the values and principles of the ILO.  We join you in mourning of her loss,” Somavia added.

The ILO is the only tripartite body in UN serving as a common venue for government, employers and workers to thresh out and discuss issues on labor rights and standards.

AQUINO'S RECORD

Locally, Aquino’s record in pushing for labor rights has drawn bittersweet reaction.

The moderate group Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said the most basic rights of workers to organize and strike were restored when she came to power after 20 years of dictatorship.

“The restoration of human rights and of political and civil liberties, Cory’s greatest legacy, provided workers with elbow room to organize themselves and form unions,” FFW national president Allan Montano said in a statement.

Montano said that by the middle of Aquino's term in 1990, union membership breached the 3 million mark, with those covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) reaching close to half a million.

However, 20 years later, the figures on unionism and CBAs have shrunk to half.

“Unions can only grow and serve workers genuinely in conditions of freedom and justice. For restoring both, Cory deserves a pat on the back from the hands that create wealth for the nation,” Montano said.

Also, during Aquino’s six-year stint, Montano said minimum wages jumped five times, the last increase pegged at 89 pesos on July 1, 1989, when Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act came into force. “That rate stands as the highest legislated rate in the history of the country,” Montano said.

ANTI-LABOR TRENDS

But labor activist and Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño said that it was during Aquino’s term that the Wage Rationalization Act (Herrera Law) was passed, and labor-only contractualization first germinated.

“She has our full respect in guaranteeing the right to organize and the right to strike. But it was also under her that the Herrera Law was passed. Also, it was also during her time that ‘contractualization’ was institutionalized,” Casiño said.

The Herrera Law created the regional wage boards (RWBs) that determine the salary rates of different sectors in the regions. The scheme is criticized for creating disparity in the wage rates between, for instance, industrial centers like the National Capital Region (NCR), and poor provinces like those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). For example, non-agricultural workers in NCR get a minimum wage of P382 while those in ARMM only receive P210.

Leftist labor groups have been seeking the abolition of the law, arguing that it favors the employers.

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) public information officer Renato Asa said that it cannot be denied that under Aquino, workers were freer to express their grievances and that the left-leaning labor group was recognized as a legitimate labor center.

But then, the passage of the Herrera Law was a major blot to her legacy since it led to two things: the creation of the RWBs and the assumption of jurisdiction (AJ) procedure that curtailed workers’ rights to express their grievances.

“With the RWBs, it has become more difficult to lobby for wage increase. The AJ as we know, is being resorted to by the labor secretary to prevent workers from expressing their legitimate demands and complaints,” Asa said.

Asa also pointed out that it was during the Aquino administration that KMU chair Rolando Olalia was murdered by still unidentified perpetrators. “It remains an unsolved crime.” (abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak)