It was not in the job description but kissing the drunk owner of an 18-year-old rubber boots and shoes factory in Muntinlupa was the first thing women workers had to do when they report for work at six in the morning. They lined up not just to have the timecard punched. They lined up to…
Category: Labor & Employment
Government Employees, Teachers Picket SSS on Neri’s First Day as Chair
BY MEDZ MONTEREAL Contributed to Bulatlat August 1, 2008 – 2:56 p.m. Government employees, teachers and workers held a demonstration today at the main office of Social Security Systems (SSS) as former National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Chair Romulo Neri sits as the new SSS president. Antonio Tinio, chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers…
One Street with Different Stories of Unionism and Struggle
‘Not without a fight’ seems to be the motto of many militant unions against efforts to bust their unions; they basically always put up a fight for wages, jobs and rights. BY MARYA SALAMAT LABOR WATCH Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 12, April 27-May 3, 2008 In the busy street of Marcos Alvarez in…
Negros Labor Official Urges ‘Emergency Relief’ for Workers
The Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board VI labor representative Winnie Sancho last week urged employers and the local government units to give emergency relief to workers to stave off the debilitating effects of high prices of rice and other basic commodities. BY KARL G. OMBION LABOR WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 12, April 27-May…
Happy But Difficult Times Ahead for New Graduates
This is a happy time for graduates. At last, they have completed their grueling four years in college. Throwing their mortars in the air, they exclaim, “At last, the difficult times are over.” But is it? BY JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 12, April 27-May 3, 2008 Fresh graduates usually rest for…
Rice Crisis Makes Wage Hike More Urgent
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO LABOR WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 12, April 27-May 3, 2008 Children begging in the streets at night Knocking on cars till the morning light People standing in line for a kilo of rice Welcome to the Dark Ages, the era of lies… — The Jerks, “Rage” For Kilusang Mayo Uno…
Bittersweet Taste of Worker Life in PepsiCo
For the past nine years, Pepsi Cola Products Philippines, Inc. has been closing down its warehouses, in the process, removing workers from their jobs. The company claims it is a “money-saving” scheme. But an interview with the union president shows that the company has in fact been expanding. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Contributed to Bulatlat…
Vancouver Labour Council brings resolution to National Labour Convention
In Canada, Momentum Building Against Human Rights Abuses in the Philippines The Philippines is the second most dangerous country for trade unionists. In recognition of this, the labour movement in Canada is responding to the Filipinos’ call for support and solidarity. BY THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES LABOR WATCH Posted…
Contractual Workers Stage Strike in Laguna Industrial Hub
Two hundred contractual workers of the Korean-owned Hanjin Garments, Inc. staged their first strike. But the police tried to violently disperse their picket line three times, the most recent attempt was last February 6, which resulted in injuries to more than 30 workers and the arrest of four leaders and supporters. BY DABET CASTAÑEDA LABOR…
‘Strong’ Peso and Weakening Dollar Hurting Workers
Prior to the specter of a U.S. recession, the Arroyo government had been making much of the historically unprecedented but unsustainable appreciation of the peso. She’s been crediting it to her fiscal managers and “good economic fundamentals.” But Labog says these economic fundamentals cannot be good if they are hurting the very people who should…
DOLE Assumes Jurisdiction on UC Strike; Union calls move suppression of constitutional rights
The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) issued an order Monday assuming jurisdiction for compulsory arbitration over the labor conflict between the University of the Cordilleras’ (UC) employees’ union and the management. BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 50, January 27-February 2, 2008 BAGUIO CITY (246 kms. north of…