Labor’s loss
Every May 1, the Philippine labor movement fills the streets to voice the usual demands for higher wages, better working conditions, the rights of workers and at a higher cresendo this year–an end to laboronly contracting. After a week, everything goes back to normal until the next May celebrations. To have a greater impact on the economy and society, the labor leaders should begin to change their mindset and take a different path for the good of the Filipinos and the country.
In an increasing competitive business environment, mandated wage increases will make the cost of doing business go up rendering the enterprises uncompetitive, eventually leading to closure and loss of jobs. Competitive wages will draw more investments in, creating more jobs and incomes for many who are still unemployed. Labor leaders should stop clamoring for higher wages but should get their force to consider productivity improvements through training and education. As business enterprises prosper, the company unions can negotiate with the business owners to upgrade skills and systems and provide the environment including pay that will improve the lot of the workers.
Keeping wages competitive will lead to business startups or expansion to hire more expanding the labor force. The labor leaders should then focus on recruiting more members and establish unions in those corporations. Rather than taking onto the streets, conducting orientation and training in labor – management relations would be useful. The vast number of unemployed if given jobs will tremendously increase the Philippine work force and could make the Philippine labor movement stronger with greater leverage in future negotiations with not only business and industry but also with government.
In the case of labor-only contracting as well as other forms of contracting, the labor movement should accept that the international labor organizations have accepted the realities of subcontracting as necessary for business and industry in an increasingly competitive world. Safeguards are already in place to protect the interests of labor by having outsource service companies regularize the manpower that are provided to clients and for the enterprises to regularize employees undertaking core enterprise functions. The labor movement should focus on unionizing the workers in both the service providers and their clients. The end-result will be more hands, hearts and minds in the organized labor sector pursuing the interests of the working men.
The labor movement should go beyond the parochial interest of the working class always in conflict with management and consider the ills that beset Philippine society which if cured will mean a better quality of life for all Filipinos including Filipino workers. They should take a stand against the onslaughts on Philippine democratic institutions like the Supreme Court from both within and outside the judiciary. A captive Supreme Court will render useless the checks and balances in governance to the detriment of the rights of the common citizen.
The labor movement should support legitimate mass media as fake news proliferating especially in social media is leading to manipulated public opinion bereft of critical thinking and objective assessment. Even the democratic process of elections is being subverted by the release of a so-called list of narco-politicians at the barangay level without the benefit of cases filed against them and encouraging the view that goes against the judicial dictum of “Innocent until proven guilty.”
The labor movement should join hands in denouncing the strong arm tactics being deployed to silence critics and to intimidate potential opposition – detaining politicians on the strength of testimonies of prisoners but still without a trial; deporting a foreign church worker who has helped bear witness to injustices; and bullying of perceived non-supportive businessmen. If the labor does not raise its voice now, there may be no voices left to raise when labor is targeted.
There is much to gain for labor to adopt a new mindset and take a stand and so much to lose if labor stays at the sidelines. melito.jr@gmail.com