Category: Organising

PSI Consultation Forum with Care Workers

May 19, 2024, B Hotel, Quezon City, Philippines. Around 45 BHWs coming from National Capital Region, Bulacan, Laguna, Malabon, Pampanga and Malaybalay, Bukidnon participated a forum at the B Hotel in Quezon City to discuss decent work and the care economy, particularly on issues affecting the care workers in the Philippines or more popularly known as Barangay Health Workers (BHWs).

The forum introduced PSI as the leading global federation with a global campaign to help alleviate the working conditions and benefits rightfully due to the BHWs and recognizing them as care workers.

To support the campaign, PSI is continuously lobbying the administration and legislature to enact into law the Magna Carta of BHW which passed the lower House and and pending before the Senate. PSI is consistent in its position that BHWs must be recognized as workers and not as volunteers.

The forum also documented the developed common position and strategies of PSI for the upcoming International Labor Conference that will have a discussion on Decent Work and the Care Economy.

Interacting with the BHWs are PSI-AP Regional Secretary Kate Lappin, PSI-AP VP Annie Enriquez Geron, PSI-SEA Sub Regional Secretary Ian Mariano and CIU Chairperson, Abdulani Lakibul.

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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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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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