Groups rally vs. Contractualization

 CEBU, Philippines - Nationwide rallies denounced contractualization as labor groups in the Philippines marked the “Global Day of Action against Outsourcing” yesterday.

 Here in Cebu, members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association, Associated Labor Union-Trade Congress of the Philippines, Alliance of Progressive Labor, Bukluran ng Manggagagwang Pilipino and Partido ng Manggagawa under the newly-formed labor coalition, Nagkaisa assembled at the Marina Mall in Lapu-Lapu City then marched to the PALEA protest camp near the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

 PM spokesman Dennis Derige said that airline unions and other workers in four continents held protests in an expression of global resistance to outsourcing.

 “Actions by workers, on the same day, in a coordinated way, all over the world, gives the struggle against outsourcing strength and effectivity,” said Derige.

  Aside from commemorating the anniversary of PALEA’s protest against outsourcing last year, the protests also pushed for the passage of the security of tenure bill pending at Congress.

 “Aside from the reproductive health and freedom of information bills, the security of tenure measure is also jammed at the legislative mill. This social reform proposal seeks to restrict the epidemic of contractual work and the proliferation of six-month endo jobs,” Derige said.

Endo, short for “end of contract”, is slang for short contractual jobs.

  A picket at the House of Representatives in Quezon City is planned for Oct. 8 to call for the plenary discussion of the security of tenure bill.

 The “Global Day of Action” was spearheaded by PALEA, the Turkish civil aviation union Hava-Is, Qantas unions, the Lufthansa flight attendants union (UFO), Canadian airline workers union CAW-TCA, Air India unions, UNITE-HERE in the USA and the Australia Asia Worker Links.

 Derige said that rallies, mass meetings and other protest actions at airports were held in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, Istanbul in Turkey, Frankfurt in Germany, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Saint John in Canada, Mumbai in India and Honolulu in Hawaii.

 Solidarity messages have also been extended by labor centers and unions in Hong Kong, Seoul, Hanoi and San Francisco. The day of action was several months in the making with the International Transport Workers Federation starting the ball rolling by endorsing it in a meeting of the Asia-Pacific civil aviation section meeting in Kuala Lumpur last July.

  Similar to PALEA, the groups participating in the day of action are embroiled in labor rows over job security and working conditions.

 Hava-Is is demanding the reinstatement of 305 members dismissed over protests against a controversial government ban on strikes in the aviation industry. Qantas management grounded its entire fleet last year in response to rolling strikes by its pilots and ground crew.

  UFO recently won substantial concessions including limits to outsourcing after a strike that disrupted Lufthansa’s flights.

 CAW-TCA and other Air Canada unions were involved in disputes over pay and outsourcing, just like Air India workers.  (FREEMAN)