Press Release
03 October 2018
On the firing of DOLE Usec. Joel Maglungsod
Labor disputes to increase unless labor policies are altered
Militant labor group Bukluran Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) says that President Rodrigo Duterte is mistaken to think that the sudden dismissal of Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod will neutralize the increasing militance of the labor movement.
The group claims that it would be erroneous to conclude that the rise of labor disputes the past two years is credited to Maglunsod.
“Duterte has no one to blame but himself for the recent rise of labor disputes because he raised the expectations of millions of wage-earners when he promised to abolish contractualization upon assuming the presidency,” said BMP president Luke Espirtu.
Militants assert that even the End Endo Bill before the Senate which he recently certified as urgent does not abolish trilateral work arrangements. The Senate proposal still allows the contracting out of ‘usually necessary or desirable’ work in the business of principal employers.
They view the dismissal of Maglunsod is this administration’s way to appease Duterte's true bosses- the foreign and local capitalists.
“It is evident that the firing of Maglunsod signifies where Duterte’s loyalty really lies,” he revealed.
BMP explained that not unless a major policy shift is promulgated, the workers will continue to assert what is rightfully theirs. Labor groups are unanimous in pushing for the abolition of contractualization, living wages and scrapping of the regressive TRAIN Law.
“Ultimately, removing Maglunsod will not dampen the fighting spirit and militance of workers because the exploitative and oppressive policies remain intact,” Espiritu concluded.###
