MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Hundreds of workers trooped to the Senate to press the decades-long demand for the passage of a security of tenure law.

“The dramatic events we saw unfold these past two weeks clearly indicate the need for a Security of Tenure Law,” said Atty. Sonny Matula, chairperson of Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition.

“First, President Rodrigo Duterte in his State of the Nation Address called on Congress to pass a law to end contractualization once and for all. The next Monday, striking workers in NutriAsia demanding regularization were violently dispersed. Then, a few days ago, the Court of Appeals sided with PLDT, which wanted to defy an order from the Labor Department to regularize thousands of its workers,” said Matula, who is also the president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW).

Meanwhile, the reinstatement order for PAL employees under the PAL Employees Association and orders for regularization of workers in the hotel industry continue to hang in the balance with the Secretary of Labor. The seven-year anti-contractualization struggle of PALEA is still waiting for justice.

“We want to address weak enforcement and inadequate legislation that reinforce precarious work conditions and abuses to workers that stem from the non-regular nature of their employment. That’s why Nagkaisa! supports the passage of Senate Bill 1826 as soon as possible,” Matula said.

Chants of #TrabahongRegular filled the air as workers held banners asking for an end to ENDO, the immediate passage of the Security of Tenure Bill and justice for the victims of violence at NutriAsia and in Cebu last week.

“The violence at NutriAsia is a direct result of contractualization. It should not happen again. A new law on security of tenure should be enacted to prevent employers from circumventing and defying lawful orders for regularization and enable the DOLE to effectively enforce labor laws,” Matula said.

SB 1826 is authored by Labor Committee Chairperson Senator Joel Villanueva, who gives his sponsorship speech of the bill today.

Nagkaisa! also calls for justice for ALU-TUCP labor leader Jessielou Cadungog, who escaped an assassination attempt purportedly carried out by an active police officer in Cebu City. He is now jailed on trumped-up charges.

“The Senate must act and act fast, there are millions of workers who have less in life and urgently need this social justice measure. A social justice measure that Duterte promised in the last election and, with alacrity, repeatedly pronounced in the last two years to address the epidemic of abusive contractualization,” Matula said.

Ending contractualization formed part of the campaign platform of President Duterte in the last elections. It was also the main agenda item in separate meetings with labor groups the past two years.

“The Philippines has been a consistently growing economy over the past decade, second only to China, and yet more than three out of ten workers don’t experience this growth as they would have to be cut from employment every five months because of “ENDO”; or a manpower agency or manpower cooperative unjustly takes a considerable cut from their paycheck,” Matula said.

“We will actively engage the Senate and seek the support of Senators who have a heart for workers and are serious in addressing social inequality and ending poverty through decent work,” Matula said. CPM

Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition

Contact: Renato Magtubo, spokesperson 09178532905

Julius Cainglet, media committee 09178553279 =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Julius H. Cainglet Vice President for Research, Advocacy and Partnerships Federation of Free Workers (FFW) an affiliate of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) FFW Bldg. 1943 Taft Avenue Malate 1004 Manila, Philippines Telefax: (63 2) 400.6656 Email: dabigdyul@gmail.com Follow me on Twitter @dabigdyul =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=