Limlingan: Paging ALE

Monday, February 6, 2012

THE International Labor Organization has reported recently that Philippine workers were among the most affected by the world economic crisis and has expressed concern over the “extremely high risk of low pay” in the country.

Aside from low wages, Filipino workers are likewise said to be vulnerable to employers’ abuses, maltreatment and unjustified dismissals. Often, a Filipino worker is exposed to work hazards especially those who are engaged in highly skilled or highly technical jobs.

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The minimum wage law is also an issue and workers are usually underpaid despite being overworked. If they are receiving the minimum wage, they suffer a number of cuts and deductions from their basic pay and wonder if these are even allowed under the law.

As a requirement, employers need to provide their workers with benefits such as health insurances, social security insurances and housing programs and other basic perks that every Filipino worker is really entitled to. The problem is that some employers deduct a certain amount from a worker’s salary only to find out in the end that the said deductions were never remitted to social security providers or insurances.

When a worker is separated from his work, it is sometimes discovered that he has not paid his premiums.

Some workers are promised a number of benefits and privileges when starting employment, but after a few months of hard labor, these benefits are removed or deducted from a worker’s payroll little by little.

Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are aimed at protecting not just the employers but also the workers. They are negotiated as a way of laying out the cards of both parties with respect to the working conditions including salary rates and benefits.

However, the very same CBA is often violated by employers who wouldn’t provide what is entitled to their workers as laid out in the agreement.

This often results into an uprising within the working premises, starting a spark between employers and laborers.

The Constitution recognizes the right of workers to form unions, associations or organizations. This is an inherent right, goal of which is the protection or workers and give them a unified voice when airing out their grievances and demands. Despite some provisions of laws talking about this right, unions are often type-casted as anti-management.

When a worker joins a union or workers organization, he is usually “watched” by some employers and usually thought of as enticing others to raise arms against their employers.

Officers of unions are usually the ones who are first to be laid-off by abusive employers for they are branded as threats to a company or an institution. This results in union-busting that starts disagreements between employers and workers.

Just recently, workers of the Clark International Airport Corporation or the CIAC staged a protest demanding for the entitlements enshrined in their CBA. The CIAC management explained that the provisions of their demands require the approval of Malacañang.

A couple of years ago, some workers of Magnolia in the City of San Fernando also led an “uprising” against the San Miguel Corporation Management for the withholding of their benefits and their demands for salary increase. The workers’ plight still hangs in the balance, as I was told.

Labor unrests do not only affect employers. First to be affected are the workers themselves and their families.

A party-list organization led by the beauteous and hardworking Congresswoman Catalina Bagasina has promised that it will work for the laborers’ and employees’ protection and benefits. This is the most opportune time that she may enter the scene to somehow mediate or delve into the plight of CIAC workers who demand some of their benefits as provided in their CBA.

I have known the downhearted Congresswoman to be an advocate of the poor and the masses. I hope she may be able to help fix the workers’ problem especially those at CIAC.

Paging ALE.