By Ervince Apatan |
Illustration by Mika Alacrito & Elliot Dimasuhid
Labor Day, also known as International Workers' Day, has been observed annually on May 1 since 1908. The Labor Code of the Philippines was also signed on this day in 1974 by late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., emphasizing that employees and employers play crucial roles in society. Although they perform distinct duties, both are bound together by the need to produce goods and services that effectively meet the populace's needs. In an ethical sense, labor and capital should work together to sustain everyone instead of competing.
Since then, thousands of Filipino workers have struggled with contractualization, a practice where employers give workers contract jobs that are transitory and end after less than six months to have fewer expenses allotted for the employees. Employees cannot get benefits under this contractual arrangement, such as 13th-month pay, SSS, PhilHealth, and PAG-IBIG housing funds. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) found that 3,337 companies have engaged in this system since 2016.
With this, the working class is limited to their full rights to fair wages and benefits since most of the profits obtained by capitalists are unfairly distributed to those at the highest level of the class system, including their strong accomplices, mainly the government. So we are confronted with the fact that the less fortunate you are, the greater the wealth capitalists earn and the more powerful they become. In addition, the lower your socioeconomic status, the more disadvantaged you become.
For instance, Jollibee reportedly had workforce issues in 2018 when they casually ended hundreds of contracts with staffing agencies, which sparked protests from their employees and calls for a boycott from Filipinos. Another case in point is when the outsourced workers at NutriAsia ultimately decided to go on strike in 2018 despite getting paid only PHP 380.00 per day. They were led by union leader Jessie Gerola, president of Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng NutriAsia Inc., who succeeded in convincing NutriAsia to halt operations that day by establishing a picket line across the factory. All they wished for was to be employed as regular employees. But rather than responding to their requests, NutriAsia filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) from a regional trial court in Bulacan. As a result, it received not just a single but two TROs.
These are only some well-known and well-documented instances of the working class being mistreated at work and during rallies. Whether or not these injustices are documented, they shouldn't be disregarded.
Although there are laws in place that support justice and equity in the workplace, history bears witness to how oppressive the system is, leading to the formation of trade unions that unionists and progressive activists organize. This is because there isn't a mutually beneficial cooperation between the employers and the employees. Furthermore, despite the fact that it is supposedly the responsibility of the government to defend workers against the oppressive ruling class, we experience the same exploitation and tyranny from both institutions because of their intent for power and greed. Money is used to establish hierarchy and further selfish goals rather than being a tool for everyone's survival and development. What ought to be a necessary, equitable, and mutually beneficial association turned into a conflict between the exploitative capitalists and the oppressed workers.
Some businesses and management would even do anything to maintain their unethical behavior, and occasionally they would even have the boldness to file criminal complaints against their employees who were on strike. Suppose the judges specifically sided with the seeming oppressors, who are undoubtedly the employers that abuse their workers. In that case, this further demonstrates how rotten and corrupt our court system is. Additionally, there are cases where exploitation-promoting corporations refuse to comply with court rulings in favor of the working class, which promotes injustice by upholding a culture of impunity.
Imagine offering your entire soul with your blood, sweat, and tears to a labor practice that barely pays minimum wages. With no incentives, this end-of-contract (ENDO) system will eventually end you on the brink of unemployment half a year later. Even if you hustle harder than in other jobs, you are no more than disposable laboratory rats under this practice.
As long as this problem persists, it will worsen and disrupt the balance of this nation's economic structure as workers lose their jobs in six months or less, pushing up the already high unemployment rate. Tax revenue will drop due to the rising unemployment rate as fewer people will be spending money and paying income taxes, decreasing the funding source for basic infrastructure and services for citizens. This prevents the nation from developing since it causes the economy to produce far less than it might and perform far below its potential.
Thus, let's remember the crucial role of trade unions in our nation as we commemorate Labor Day, as they valiantly combat attacks to defend workers' rights, instead of simply remembering the accomplishments of labor movements throughout history. On top of that, let's support and stand in solidarity with the workers who are the victims of unfair wages and working conditions by intensifying their calls for more equitable and ethical workplace changes.