DAGDAG SAHOD ISABATAS! MAKATARUNGANG SSL 6 AT 6K PERA IPASA!

01 May 2024, Manila, Philippines    –    Public Services International (PSI) Philippines affiliates joined the Labor Day mobilization rally today to campaign and push for “DAGDAG SAHOD ISABATAS! MAKATARUNGANG SALARY STANDARDIZATION LAW (SSL) AT 6K PERA IPASA!”.

Thousands of Filipino workers marched the scorching heat along Espaňa Street in Manila to urge the administration and legislature to prioritize and enact into law an additional daily minimum wage increase equivalent to no less than 150 pesos, as proposed by House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza of the TUCP Party List.

The various workers’ organizations from both the private and public sectors also came together to support the full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law 6 (SSL 6) and the Personal Emergency Relief Allowance (PERA) equivalent to 6 thousand pesos to all government and public sector workers.

PSI strongly calls for the enactment of Public Service Labor Relations Bill (House Bill 1513), New Philippine Nursing Practice Act (Senate Bill No. 589) and the recognition of care wok as work specifically for the Barangay Health Workers.

The rally held a short program along Morayta Street and culminated its activities there before lunch time.

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DAGDAG SAHOD ISABATAS! 150 PATAAS! CHACHA IATRAS!

30 April 2024, Manila, Philippines – A Holy Mass was offered by the Simbahan at Komunidad Laban (SIKLAB) sa ChaCha (Charter Change), with the overarching theme “Dagdag Sahod Isabatas! 150 Pataas! ChaCha Iatras!”. The Catholic Mass was held at the Quiapo Church in Manila a day before the 2024 May 1 Labor Day Celebration.

Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros joined the various workers’ organizations and public sector unions who attended the mass presided by Bishop Jose Colin M. Bagaforo, D.D. and led the photo ops for the media outside the church immediately after the mass.

Public Services International (PSI) continuously support workers’ issues and trade union rights including the implementation and promotion of the workers’ right to just compensation and living wage.

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ILO Consultation on Decent Work on Care Economy

26 April 2024, B Hotel, Quezon City, Philippines. – Public Services International (PSI) Philippine affiliates Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW) and Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), actively participated in the consultation on decent work on care economy aimed at developing a common workers’ position and arguments for the International Labor Conference (ILC) discussion on care.

PSI is the leading global union federation which promote and protect health and care workers around the world. Both affiliates AFW and PSLINK robustly referred to the PSI Care Manifesto and the 5 Rs framework in identifying and analyzing issues and challenges as well as corresponding options and solutions. They highlighted the human rights to care, focus on wide range of care work, the pittance pay, and prevalence of unpaid care work performed by Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, and Day Care Workers in the case of the Philippines.

PSLINK is part of the writing group tasked to consolidate and write the report.

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The Philippines unions calls to raise workers’ minimum wages

25 April 2024, Manila, Philippines. – The National Wage Coalition composed of BMP, KMU, NAGKAISA, and TUCP, alongside various other workers’ organizations and public sector unions, held a Press Conference today billed “Dagdag Sahod Isabatas! 150 Pataas!” at the Max’s Restaurant along Maria Orosa Street in Manila, to urge President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to certify the legislated wage hike as urgent and the Legislature (House of Representatives and Senate) to pass into law a wage increase equivalent to no less that 150 pesos per day as wage recovery increase for the private sector and 33,000 minimum monthly wage for public sector workers or the full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law 6. They collectively proposed that Congress should urgently raise workers’ minimum wages as well as review and reform the country’s minimum wage-setting mechanism.

In the Philippines, approximately 4.2 million minimum wage earners cannot ensure their decent life or even feed their families nutritious meals. Most minimum wages fall below the government-set poverty threshold, condemning millions of wage earners who do honest work for a living to a life of poverty.

This was the call of the Coalition on the ever-rising cost of living which they say amounts to around 1,200 pesos per day versus the current minimum wage of just 610 pesos. It is imperative to address the disparity between minimum wage and a living wage.

The Coalition also briefed the media about their plan to hold a mobilization rally on Labor Day, May 1, 2024, which will assemble along Espaňa Street in Manila and culminate at the traditional rally hub in Mendiola Street right in front of the Office of the Philippine President or the Malacaňang Palace.

Public Services International (PSI) is strongly supporting trade union rights issues including the call increasing the wages of workers through social dialogue.

Present during the Press Conference were members of the media most notably from renowned TV stations ABS-CBN, GMA-7, and UNTV.

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9th PIPSEA Executive Board Meeting: Building Union Power

Puerto Princesa, Philippines- Around 250 union leaders and members of the Philippine Independent Public Sector Employees Association (PIPSEA) gathered at the Citystate Asturias Hotel, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, on April 12-14, 2024, during the 9th PIPSEA National Executive Board Meeting and other related activities.

Part of the program is a separate session on the PSI Campaigns and the Road to ILO C190 ratification. Local affiliates of PIPSEA, celebrated the successful ILO C190 ratification and manifested their overwhelming commitment to continue to support all the ongoing PSI campaigns in the Philippines and in the region. Ian Mariano, PSI Sub regional Secretary for Southeast Asia presented the PSI Campaigns, Road to ILO C190 Ratification in the Philippines, including strategies and ways forward.

The federation members also had a session on Gender Responsive Quality Public Services with Director Vizur Ty Gaitano of the Civil Service Commission (Region 6) as the esteemed resource speaker.

The program also included the consolidation and building power of the federation along with other public sector organizations to strengthen and position the public sector unions in terms of representation and collective actions. PSI Vice President Annie Enriquez Geron was invited as guest speaker on the topic “Building Union Power”.

One of the highlights of the meeting is the official affiliation of 11 new local affiliates from Visayas and Mindanao. PIPSEA `committed to continue their aggressive organizing efforts including the organizing of the Barangay Health Workers. The meeting also invited new potential affiliates to PIPSEA from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Another highlight is the adoption of a Resolution expressing the solidarity of PIPSEA to the Finnish Trade Unions SAK and STTK on their struggle against the labour market and welfare reforms in Finland. The National Executive Board of PIPSEA unanimously adopted the resolution authored by Ms. Airis Penetrante, President of the Association of Iloilo Province Government Employees (AIPGE- PIPSEA) (Video of Miss Airis Penetrante). The National Executive Board manifested to co-sponsor the resolution.

Officers and members of PIPSEA expressed strong support to SAK and STTK and to all trade unions and workers in Finland thru the photo collage taken during the event expressing SOLIDARITY!

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Organising for Strength

The Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW) has intensified its organizing work with the support from PSI. On February 10, 2024, AFW President Rene Capito, Vice President Ferdinand Gan and Women Organizer Jane Labongray met the officers and members of Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa NICC Doctors Hospital (SMNDH) in Naga City, a province of Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region, south of Luzon, Philippines.

During this first meeting, the AFW officers discussed how the union can be affiliated with the AFW, as AFW clarified its unwavering support on the labor struggles of health workers to improve their benefits and welfare, as well as fight for their rights and the many issues affecting them.

On their part, the SMNDH assured the AFW that they will eventually affiliate with them and join the federation of the biggest private health care workers’ organization (AFW) in the future.

An initial orientation on basic trade unionism was conducted on March 2, 2024, to increase awareness and basic understanding of unionism amongst the officers and members of SMNDH. A follow-up capacity building and awareness raising will be conducted on April 22, 2024, to a targeted bigger number of SMNDH union members.

AFW will issue a charter certificate to the SMNDH for the purpose of indicating the establishment of the local chapter and also for the purpose of certification election.

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Young workers Leadership Workshop and Exchange Program

33 young leaders (18 women and 15 men) from PSI affiliated unions in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are in Quezon City, Philippines from November 28 to November 30 for Young Workers leadership workshop and an exchange program.

In addition to the training, today they rallied together with trade union organizations from the Philippines and were invited to be at the Philippine Senate for a hearing on the Philippine government’s plan to ratify ILO Convention 190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. This ratification was proposed by trade unions in the Philippines and has been their campaign since the ratification of the convention by the ILO in 2019.

On Thursday, November 30, 2023, they will join a mobilization to celebrate Bonifacio Day. Bonifacio Day commemorates Andrés Bonifacio, a hero of the Philippine revolution and considered a labor hero in the Philippines.

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