DECENT WORK FOR ALL!!!

3.4 million workers-women and men-do not have work. 4. 7 million are still looking for more work. Just about one out of three workers has been contractualized. Recently, more than 80,000 workers have been separated due to closures. And more is expected.

One out of every two workers has fallen into the unprotected informal sector. 7 million Filipinos are migrant workers, politically disenfranchised and socially excluded.

Each worker now is working longer, yet becomes poorer. From 46.8 hours a week on average in 1998, workers worked 48.4 hours in 2000. Yet Filipinos who fell into poverty comprised 37 percent of all households in year 2000, up two percent from 2 years ago.

So it is reported that the economy is getting back on track. But why is progress so slow to come for us workers? If there are no jobs or if jobs are insecure and indecent, social breakdown is just around the corner!

Why should we, workers, work more hours only to receive less? And why are we asked to pay more: for electricity, for gas, for water? Why the indecent proposal to pay more contributions to SSS when our money has not been used prudently? Why should we pay more taxes on cheap communication services when so much taxes from the rich remain uncollected?

And why should we, workers, lose our jobs because the WTO says so? Why should we open up our cement, automotive, steel and metal industries when countries that export the same products to us protect theirs?

The answers are as obvious as the political muckraking going on. There is no way the country can survive globalization without social cooperation, born out of true social partnership that is forged by mutual trust and respect among the social partners.

We call for more genuine social dialogues at all levels and in all fronts. And common action right after. The National Socio-Economic Pact of 2001 is a good beginning. But it needs to be pursued with more vigorous action, especially its social commitments.

There is much discord about our commitments to WTO and AFTA. And about liberalization, deregulation and privatization. The least that can be done is to review these commitments and policies to align these to decent work. In the meantime, protect the industries and the jobs until an adequate social protection has been put in place for both firms and workers.

Good governance is a must. And good governance is not only about efficiency and honesty. It is equally about participation and the empowerment of grassroots organizations. Protect and promote unions and all other forms of workers’ organizations who represent the voice of labor. Get their nominees appointed to policy-making bodies to represent their sectoral interests.

100 years of unionism is worth much more if we strengthen unionism and all other forms of grassroots organizations for another 100 years of struggle to build a democratic and just Filipino society!

DECENT WORK FOR ALL!!!

FEDERATION OF FREE WORKERS

1 May 2002

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