NEWS | With extreme state violence, PH among the 10 worst countries for workers

By Rowz Fajardo

The Philippines once again landed on the top ten list of worst countries for workers in the world by an international union federation. In the annual report released by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), abuses by government and companies against workers’ rights, such as the right to strike, organize a union and free speech, were found to be at an all-time high since ITUC started keeping track of the abuses eight years ago.

According to ITUC, among 149 nations, the top ten worst countries for workers in 2021 were Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Myanmar, Philippines, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.

Attacks against workers

The ITUC reported the rampant red-tagging of unionists, a practice of state authorities branding unionists and other activists as subversive organizations and fronts of communist rebels. It added that in 2019, there was a rising number of trade unionists arrested and charged for illegal possession of firearms and explosives which are the usual charges against activists.

Furthermore, due to the presence of extreme state violence, union members in the Philippines were particularly at risk of red-tagging, which exposes them to further intimidation, repression, and murder.

The Philippine labor group, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro), also noted the arrests and murders of laborers under the Duterte regime. According to Sentro, several trade unionists have been attacked across the country including seven murdered leaders and 28 arrested unionists from March 2020 to April 2021.

Among the arrests were the five Sentro and Partido Manggagawa trade unionists in Cebu in November last 2020.

Consistency in ranking

According to Sentro, the country was consistently ranked among the most unsafe countries for workers by the annual reports of ITUC. This was also shared by labor group Nagkaisa Labor Coalition saying that for several years, the Philippines has been on the hall of shame of labor rights rankings.

Nagkaisa chairperson and labor lawyer, Sonny Matula, stated that in 2019, labor leaders Dennis Sequeña and Reynaldo Malaborbor were killed but both were not given justice yet.

Sequeña and Malaborbor are only two of the total 45 trade union and peasant leaders killed under the Duterte administration, according to Matula.

Dangers of JIPCO

The ITUC also noted in its report the establishment of the Joint Industrial Peace and Concern Offices (JIPCO) which is used to spy on trade unions and militant labor actions in the name of combatting communist infiltration of the labor force in industrial zones.

Moreover, Matula slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for not sending yet the requested invitation for a mission from the International Labor Organization (ILO) to visit the country and validate claims of abuse. He added that the DOLE only issued a memorandum instructing its senior officials to prepare for the ILO High-Level Mission, instead of the said invitation.

Abuse during the pandemic

“Governments and employers exploited the pandemic to exploit the people the world depends on by increasing surveillance, breaking agreements, laying off workers, blocking and intimidating unions and resorting to violence and murder,” Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC, said in a statement after the release of the 2021 Global Rights Index.

In the Philippines, Labor federation Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (SUPER) released a report of a survey conducted between March 19 and 22 with verified complaining workers from Luzon.

According to SUPER, reported unjust employer practices during this crisis from 318 employees in 160 companies during the Luzon-wide lockdown were allegedly using the crisis to justify illegal termination of its workers (11 companies), workers made to work under the “no work, no pay” scheme but without transport being provided (81 companies), flexible work arrangements but with reduced pay (28 companies), suspension of work without pay (98 companies) coupled with a refusal to apply for the financial assistance programs being offered by the Department of Labor (56 companies).

Sentro reiterated that the irresponsible governance of the current administration is deadly. Laborers, according to the group, are at a constant risk of dying either from the pandemic or from the poverty that COVID-19 has made worse.