Ecop’s wishlist to presidentiables a nightmare for workers; KMU puts forward labor demands

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the next government must focus on providing local jobs to Filipinos and addressing concerns on wage hikes and job security.

“Workers have had enough of Arroyo’s nine long years of pro-employer, anti-worker governance. Since day one, she showed affinity to the business sector and aversion to workers’ demand for better working and living conditions,’ said KMU vice president Lito Ustarez. 

This is in reaction to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ (ECOP) proposals for policy reforms to the next government that recommends more flexible labor arrangements in BPOs, reduction of benefits, flexible wage adjustments, changing the rules on contracting and subcontracting and implementation of policies to ease the cost of doing business.

‘What ECOP wants is a continuation of Arroyo’s anti-labor policies – wage freeze, job insecurity, more stringent policies that undermining workers rights,” Ustarez said.

“Workers have benefited very little, if none at all, from this administration. For the past nine years we have struggled for significant reforms for the labor sector – through legislative measures and street actions, but the government remained deaf and blind on all our demands.”

Ustarez said ECOP must stop acting as if employers and business owners are the only ones affected by the economic crisis. “Workers that make up the productive forces of the economy are all the more affected and burdened by the crisis. We have not received any significant wage increase for the past nine years – all wage adjustments were in the form of COLA, companies continue to slash jobs and reduce benefits to maximize profits. It was workers who were made to sacrifice, for the benefit of employers and for the cost of doing business.”

This Labor Day, KMU will forward its electoral agenda for all the national candidates. Among its urgent demands are:

•         Granting of substantial across-the-board legislated wage increase for workers in the private sector;

•         Job security, humane and gender-sensitive working condition;

•         Local job generation and reversal of labor export policies;

•         Intensified government labor inspections to ensure compliance to labor standards;

•         Censure of employers who carry out unfair labor practices;

•         Repeal of DOLE Advisory # 2 or flexible wage arrangements

•         Justice for all victims of trade union repression;

•         Repeal of all regressive tax policies and

•         Control in the prices of basic commodities and services

“The upcoming Labor Day will be an appropriate venue for candidates to present their agenda for workers and for employment and long-term economic development. The labor vote is important as working people comprise 35 million of the country’s population,” Ustarez concluded. #