PolEco: Workers' Challenge on Bonifacio Day, Nov 30, 2012

Members of Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) Cavite Chapter, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) Southern Tagalog, Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod (KPML) Cavite Chapter, Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO) GMA Chapter, and Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT), staged a rally in GMA, Cavite on Nov 30, 2012, dubbed as "Workers' Challenge," to make a call to the senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, and all other politicians of the present government, to attend to the Filipino workers' struggles, generalized as follows:

1. Low wages and Policy of Contractualization
2. Rising Prices of Oil and Electricity
3. Housing Security

First of the struggles' workers had been bearing is the  policy of low wages and contractualization in offices/companies/factories. The Minimum Wage Law limits the wages of workers to what the Dept of Labor and Employment (DOLE) deems appropriate. The value of minimum wage differs from region to region, which is always below what a family needs for its expenses. On the other hand, the policy of Contractualization limits workers to 5 months stay only in a company, afterwhich, he/she needs to find another job in order to have a source of income, but also for another 5 months. Contractualization is a mechanism used by the capitalists to keep their cost of production low. Contractual workers don't receive the benefits given to regular workers, as provided by law. They also don't have the right to organize themselves or join a union. So the capitalists really gain a lot from that policy.

The rising costs of oil (fuel) and electricity add insult to injury. The workers are burdened by the low wages they're receiving and the quality of work, with no security of tenure, they have, but instead of giving them relief, the workers are saddled with the high costs of oil and electricity. This came into place through the free market policy of capitalists countries, which necessitates the privatization and de-regulation of all businesses. When oil and electricity prices shoots up, prices of commodities will also shoot up. Its a domino effect, because cost of fuel and electricity are always added to the cost of production of all commodities.

Another effect of the free market policy is the privatization of housing, which means that public housing projects need to be sold to private entities/capitalists, so that proceeds of the sale will go to government funds for public service. The funds always go to somewhere else and someone's pockets, as evidenced by the different scandals hounding government officials. So instead of making the housing program a public service, it's turned into a business opportunity. As in all businesses, if you can't pay, you can't stay. 

All these struggles are intertwined, as well as the demands. The various peoples' organizations (PO's) demand for security of tenure and a Living Wage (wage that can raise a family decently, which is based on the cost of living). They're also demanding the scrapping of the de-regulation and privatization policies, as obligated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other global financial institutions.

This is the challenge to all politicians and government officials. Heed the call of the workers, which comprises the 99% of the population. The challenge is in time for the birth anniversary of the great Andres Bonifacio, Filipino hero and the first revolutionary. It's also in time for the coming elections on May 2013, where "trapos" will once again court for the votes of the masses, making all kinds of promises and all kinds of gimmicks, from the endorsements of popular artists, to the promise of heaven when elected. 

This is the WORKERS' CHALLENGE !