Bulatlat - The Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine

This story was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 6, March 12-18, 2006

Filipino Women Workers Sinking Deeper into Poverty

Women minimum wage earners find it increasingly difficult to cope with ever increasing prices. With the practice of contractualization of labor, more women workers are being deprived of their rights. Women’s groups hit this practice of the Arroyo administration as “feminization of poverty”. They cite this as one of the reasons for their demand that Arroyo step down.

BY MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat

High-speed sewer Gilda Sumilang has been working in a garments factory for 14 years now. Her factory churns out polo shirts and boxer shorts with brand names such as Nautica, Levis, Dockers and Eddie Bauer. All original, these clothing are not for sale in the Philippine market; instead, these are for re-export to US, Canada, and other first world countries where the "buyers" and the materials come from.

For the remaining employed in the same factory for 14 years, Gilda is considered 'lucky'. Many export-oriented garment factories in Metro Manila that used to employ tens of thousands of high-speed sewers, expert cutters and sample-makers had closed down or downsized in the past years in order to shift their production to export processing zones or industrial parks outside Metro Manila where wages are lower and unionism is prohibited.

But despite Gilda's improved work experience and taking part in their union, her so-called luck is fast slipping nowadays. "Our wages just can't keep up with the increasing prices of transportation, basic commodities and services," she lamented. She shared that five years ago, their shuttle services cost P15 ($0.29 at 1$:P51.30), now it's P35 ($0.69). All in all they need at least P100 to get to the workplace. If after paying their bills and serving something at their table they're left with little money to drag their bodies to the factory, they turn to usurious '5-6' money lenders, referring to lenders charging a 20 percent interest on short-term loans.

Vicky Ilao, high-speed sewer in the same company for 22 years, says "If I were the sole breadwinner in our family, my earnings wouldn't be enough for us to live on even if we have only two kids." Both she and her husband have jobs, but they still find it hard to make both ends meet. Like the rest of her co-workers, Vicky's next month pay check is already earmarked for paying off debts.

More than 90 percent of their fellow workers, men or women, are neck-deep in debt, the two women workers told Bulatlat. They said that whenever they hear the current president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pounding on the benefits of her 'sound economic fundamentals,' they feel insulted. Due to unmitigated oil price increases and tax hikes, prices are spiking drastically and continuously, shrinking the real value of their wages by leaps and bounds.

"Even if our P125 wage hike demand is finally granted, and that's a big IF, it won't be enough to totally recover the eroded value of our wages," lamented the women. And yet, they are the 'lucky' ones – for remaining as employed, regular and unionized workers.

A growing number of workers are not as 'lucky'

With the government's drive to make the labor market more flexible, many workers are now ending up as permanent contractuals – they work under a 5-month contract which, if they're good, or if they're still needed, gets renewed again and again. But they remain as contractuals, not regular employees of the firm they're working for, and as such, not entitled to benefits being enjoyed by regular employees.

In the garments factory where Gilda and Vicky work, there are three contractuals for every two regulars. Their union has to work double time to plug up its ranks as more members leave due to extreme fatigue or age. Retirement comes earlier in the garments industry. Workers here started young and after more than 20 years of pounding at the sewing machine, even if they're just in their forties, their bodies couldn't keep up anymore with high quotas, needles and the heat inside the work premises.

The union and the management where Gilda works arrived at an agreement to maintain a certain number of regular workers, thus compelling the management to regularize the top performers from among contractual workers. But factory bosses warn them that if no buyers place orders, they'll soon be saying goodbye to their jobs. Still, the number of contractuals keeps on increasing, from around 100 some five years ago to the current 300.

Contractualization is the practice in many factories today, said Gilda Sumilang. In a textile company where former co-workers found work, there are one thousand contractuals to every one hundred regulars. The trend is even more obvious in the popular chains of malls where more women are employed.

As less women find regular jobs, their membership and participation in unions also suffer. Data from the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women reveals that women's participation in trade unions decreased from 59.6 percent in 1996 to 34.2 percent in 2000. The percentage of women in leadership positions in unions also went down from 35 percent in 1998 to 25.6 percent in 2000.

Women’s protests mark International Women’s Day

Protesting against what they called as another “repressive government”, women from all over the country held simultaneous rallies in commemoration of International Women’s Day March 8 in Tuguegarao City and Isabela, Baguio City, and Ifugao in Northern Luzon; San Jose City in Nueva Ecija; the Export Processing Zone in Rosario, Cavite, Batangas City and Lipa City in Batangas; Calamba Crossing, San Pedro, Sta. Rosa, Sta. Cruz and San Pablo in Laguna; Antipolo City in Rizal; Lucena City in Quezon; Albay and Camarines Sur in the Bicol region; Mindoro Occidental and Puerto Princesa in Palawan. In the Visayas Islands, women’s rallies were held in Cebu City, Bacolod City, Dumaguete City, and Bohol. In Mindanao, rallies were held at Davao City, in the CARAGA region, Tagum City, Kidapawan City, and Butuan City.

In National Capital Region, around 12,000 women belonging to different political affiliations, united under the theme, “A woman’s place is in the struggle – oust Gloria Arroyo,” marched along Ayala Ave. in Makati.

Women belonging to Gabriela and Gabriela Women’s Party, Forces of the Middle Class, Global Call to Action against Poverty-Philippines, OFW Family Club, Womenspeak, NCCV, Bangon Pilipinas-Women, Black & White Movement, Laban ng Masa (Masses’ Fight), Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Philippine Masses) and many others, held a “Martsa ng Kababaihan” (Women’s March).

“What is ironic in this year’s March 8 celebration is that the women’s movement is deliberately being attacked by a woman – Mrs. Gloria Arroyo,” said Emmi de Jesus, secretary general of Gabriela. In fact, said the other women speakers, in holding a nationally-coordinated street protests they’re actually defying the orders of “repressive Arroyo regime”. Indeed, as the women’s program in Makati went on, numerous shield and stick-wielding policemen positioned themselves at various intersections around Ayala, warning the women against extending their program and beating their shields from time to time.

Emmi de Jesus cited the plight of Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) Rep. Liza Maza, who for the first time in her involvement in the women’s movement since 1987 cannot join any of the women’s day activities because of an impending arrest. Rep. Maza and five other progressive party-list representatives are charged with rebellion. They’re currently under protective custody of the House of Representatives. Also included in the government’s wanted list is GWP founding vice-chairperson and former Gabriela International relations officer Elisa Tita Lubi.

Women’s groups disclosed that women have found no support from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a woman president. According to them, Arroyo’s 10-point development agenda doesn’t mention any gender concern. Arroyo, said women’s groups, has denied official support for full reproductive health and family planning services, thus putting at risk women’s health and lives. They lamented that the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women that is mandated to ensure gender responsive policies has one of the smallest budgets in the bureaucracy. Also, they said that despite the 25^th year of the celebration of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women or CEDAW, to which the Philippine Government is a signatory, the fundamental rights of women remain a pipedream to millions of women who are daughters, wives, mothers to millions of households.

The women’s groups also demanded “that the Arroyo administration be held accountable for abetting feminization of migration and poverty.” They claimed that under Arroyo’s watch, “women have become more vulnerable to disasters, natural or human-made, as experienced by those in the Ultra tragedy and Southern Leyte mudslide.” But according to the women’s group, “Gloria is tragedy herself” because of the policies she imposes on the people. The women’s groups concluded with a demand for Arroyo to step down. Bulatlat

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