Labor manifest opposition on sugar import liberalization at Wage Board

ILOILO. Labor representatives to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas Wennie Sancho (center) and Hernane Braza (2nd from right) during the workers' forum against sugar import liberalization earlier this month. (Erwin Nicavera)
ILOILO. Labor representatives to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas Wennie Sancho (center) and Hernane Braza (2nd from right) during the workers' forum against sugar import liberalization earlier this month. (Erwin Nicavera)

ILOILO CITY -- Recognizing its vital role in ensuring right wages and productivity among workers in the region, the labor sector has manifested opposition against the proposed sugar import liberalization to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Western Visayas.

Labor representatives Wennie Sancho and Hernane Braza, both from Negros Occidental, submitted a manifestation letter to fellow members of the RTWPB- Western Visayas headed by Department of Labor and Employment- Western Visayas Director Cyril Ticao during their meeting on Tuesday, February 26.

Sancho said that their intention is to request the Wage Board to endorse such manifestation of opposition to the Regional Development Council and Tripartite Industrial Peace Council.

Sancho said the move is for the two councils to be appraised on the possible adverse economic effects of the impending sugar import deregulation to about 84,000 farmers and 720,000 industrial workers in the country's sugar industry.

“We, the labor representatives, are apprehensive that this plan of the government would lead to massive unemployment in the region and would kill the local sugar industry,” he reiterated, adding that “hence, it is important that this vital social concern should be taken up in various agencies of the government.”

Earlier this month, Sancho and Braza's groups, General Alliance of Workers Associations and Philippine Agricultural Commercial and Industrial Workers Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, signed the “Karga-Tapas” manifesto expressing the sugar workers’ opposition against the “deadly” policy.

They were joined by 12 other leaders and representatives of other labor unions and groups, mostly of sugar milling companies, as well as labor advocates in the province.

It was followed by a statement of solidarity, still condemning the proposed measure, signed by various labor groups and unions led by the Save the Sugar Industry Movement (SSIM).

Sancho is the convenor of SSIM with Braza as co-convenor.

The former said they decided to tap RTWPB-Western Visayas as sugar import liberalization is a labor concern that involves wages, productivity and employment.

Sancho said this should alarm the members of the Wage Board. If the labor sector would not assert its vehement opposition, the government will implement the deregulation of sugar imports.

“There will be no productivity and wages to talk about when the local sugar industry is dead because we are flooded with imported sugar when liberalization is implemented,” he added.

The labor sector also expressed a “constant fear” that the sugar import liberalization will push through amid the recent enactment of the rice tarrification law.

“The signing of the rice tarrification law is a prelude to the liberalization of sugar importation as openly declared by the economic managers of this administration,” Sancho said.

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