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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Workers' group sees anti-terror bill as 'anti-labor'
A LABOR organization expressed fear Monday that their right to stage a strike and protest would be impaired once the anti-terrorism bill is enacted into law.
Alex Aguilar, spokesman for the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), said the anti-terrorism bill may work not in their favor because of the provision that a labor strike may be construed as an act of terrorism.
"If liberally interpreted, workers may end up losing the only available measure they can resort to when pushing for their collective rights -- the Constitutionally guaranteed right of workers to go on strike," he said.
Citing Section 4 of House Bill 4839 or the anti-terrorism bill, Aguilar said the specific provision is quiet vague that it may cause confusion as it states "terrorism is committed by any person or group of persons, whether natural or juridical, who, with the intent to create or sow danger, panic, fear, or chaos to the general public or segment or to coerce or intimidate the government to do or refrain from doing an act through premeditated, threatened, or actual use of force, violence or other means of destruction, commits any of the following acts causing serious or unlawful interference with or serious unlawful disruption of an essential service facility or system whether public or private".
Aguilar said, "if we would simply read the provision, it would mean that if workers belonging to a vital installation such as water facility, hospitals or ports launch a strike, it could be considered as terrorism."
While TUCP supports measures to counter terrorism, he said they could not afford to endanger the workers "hard-won freedom". He said they will press the Senate and the House of Representatives to remove the provision in the bill.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked for the enactment of an anti-terrorism bill in a bid to stop terrorism in the country.
The country had suffered terrorist bombings in the past, the most tragic of which was the Rizal Day bombings in 2003 that killed more than people and injured many others. (MSN/Sunnex)
(October 18, 2005 issue)
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