FFW urges wage hike, union rights protection

MANILA — The Federation of Free Workers called for higher wages and stronger protection of trade union rights as it joined about 30,000 workers in a Labor Day march Thursday, May 1.

The march started at Welcome Rotonda and proceeded to Claro M. Recto Avenue after police barricades cut short the protesters’ route to Mendiola, the FFW said.

The labor federation urged workers to organize and build bargaining power to secure wage increases, improve working conditions and resolve grievances, instead of merely waiting for government action or inaction.

The FFW cited the Workers Rights Watch Report on the State of Freedom of Association in the Philippines, which was published in cooperation with the Danish Trade Union Development Agency and with support from the European Union.

According to the report, there have been 109 cases of worker killings affecting union leaders and organizing efforts since 2016, with no one held accountable to date.

The report also said at least two labor rights violations have occurred every week over the past year, including union busting, illegal dismissal of trade union leaders, filing of trumped-up charges, terror-tagging, enforced disappearances and killings.

The FFW renewed its call for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto to activate the interagency mechanism created under Executive Order No. 23.

Executive Order No. 23, signed on April 30, 2023, created an Inter-Agency Committee for the Protection of the Freedom of Association and Right to Organize of Workers. The committee is chaired by the executive secretary, with the Department of Labor and Employment as vice chair, and is tasked to coordinate and expedite action on alleged violations of workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.

The FFW said the committee must not only investigate attacks against workers but also produce concrete results that would show the Marcos administration’s performance in protecting freedom of association.

The federation said the committee last convened more than a year ago under then Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

Recto, whom the FFW said was appointed executive secretary “at the height of the flood control mess,” has “hardly lifted a finger on the matter,” the group said.

The FFW also criticized Marcos for allegedly ignoring workers on Labor Day, saying he did not “break bread” with them, which the group said previous presidents had done at least once during their terms.

Marcos marked Labor Day in General Santos City, where he announced minimum wage increases in Northern Mindanao and Caraga, according to ABS-CBN News.

But the FFW said Marcos was silent on labor’s demands for a legislated wage hike, removal of the excise tax on fuel and value-added tax, and justice for aggrieved workers.

“Organize. Demand a living wage. Defend labor rights and the right to unionize,” the FFW said.

“Workers can build power by organizing against all odds. Because when workers are organized, their voice is not noise—it is power,” it added.