DAVAO CITY, Dec. 21 (PIA) -- After the pilot voluntary code of good practices on decent work in the Business Process Outsourcing industry, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE XI) launched yesterday a voluntary code in the banana industry as well.
This was achieved given that the said industry contributes 240,000 workers and around 1.4 million persons directly dependent on the banana industry.
The code provides a guiding set of principles that will govern the operation of the Banana Industry Tripartite Council (BITC) in aiming for industrial peace, productivity, and competitiveness.
The code contains normative, aspirational and regulatory standards on the many aspects of labor-management relations and corporate governance in the industry.
It is the outcome of key players in the banana export industry such as PBGEA, FEDCO, Amsefpco, Farmcoop, ALU-TUCP, FILU, PFL, Stanfilco, TADECO, Sumifru, Del Monte Fresh, and Unifrutti, and relevant government agencies like DA, DAR, TESDA, and CDA.
Some of the unique content of the code includes the commitment of the management sector to refrain from retrenching or laying-off people during times of economic downturn and energy crisis.
They also agreed to formulate an occupational health and safety policy and program to address safety and health concerns in worksites.
Raising awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS, dangerous drugs, tuberculosis, dengue and malaria is also part of their priorities.
The management sector has also committed to promote and practice transparency in transactions between and among national and local governments, without prejudice to the protection of trade and industry secrets, to resist anomalous and corrupt transactions.
The management sector also condemns pole vaulting as it undermines the rule of law and obligation of contract and threatens global reputation of Philippine bananas. They have committed to discourage its members from engaging in it. (PIA XI)
Source:
Anna Lee M. Fos
Youth/Research/Human and Trade Union Rights Monitoring Officer
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)
TUCP-PGEA Compound, Masaya & Maharlika Sts., Diliman, Quezon City
Mobile: +63 908 584 0541/+63 917 855 1225
Direct Line: +632 922 0917/433 2208
TUCP Fax: +632 921 9758
Email: tucpresearch@gmail.com
secretariat@trafficking.org.ph
Website: http://www.tucp.org.ph/; http://www.trafficking.org.ph/v5/
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
TUCP Workers’ College Training Program
TUCP WORKERS’ COLLEGE FREE TRAINING PROGRAMNOW ACCEPTING APPLICANTS FOR QUICK ENROLLMENT
ASSESSMENT STARTS ON DECEMBER 22, 2010
ALL CLASSES START ON DECEMBER 27, 2010
For inquiries, call (02) 924.7551; (02) 433.2208; (02) 922.0917
Mobile: 0917.855.1225/0908.584.0541
Courses offered:
Housekeeping NC II (100 slots)
Wellness Massage/Hilot NC II (100 slots)
Finishing Course for Call Center Agents NC II (200)
For qualifications, read here:
- 18 to 55 years old
- Completed at least High School
- Not working; no longer studying
- Willing to work
- Must undergo and pass the qualification assessment administered by TESDA
- For Finishing Course for Call Center Agents (FCCCA), must be computer literate
Monday, December 20, 2010
DOLE warns vs firms selling products to jobseekers
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Monday warned jobseekers against some marketing firms that exploit jobseekers by requiring them to buy their products in exchange for nonexistent jobs.
In a statement posted on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) website, Baldoz said such firms require jobseekers to buy "training kits" and shell out money for supposed training.
"Employers should not require workers or even applicants to buy their products as this is tantamount to violation of the law," Baldoz said.
Article 112 of the Labor Code and Article 288 of the Revised Penal Code prohibit employers from obliging workers to buy merchandise and commodities from them.
Baldoz cited the recent case of a worker who filed a complaint with DOLE’s Public Assistance Complaint Unit (PACU) after being made to buy a water purifier and a training kit by a Malate-based firm as a requirement for a job that turned out to be non-existent.
Complainant Israel Garduque, 25, said the person who interviewed him when he submitted his application told him that he should first buy an appliance the firm was selling. He was also told to pay for training kits, and undergo training before he could be hired.
“I was desperate for a job that’s why I readily agreed to pay P3,500 for a water purifier and another P550 for a training kit before I underwent a two-week training for a job in which did not materialize," the DOLE statement quoted Garduque as saying.
He said he stopped training with the marketing firm when he sensed that the jobs promised to applicants were non-existent. He wanted a refund of the money that the marketing firm allegedly fleeced from him.
“Garduque’s case is still being heard at the DOLE Regional Office in the National Capital Region where it was referred to by the PACU," Baldoz said. - KBK/MRT, GMANews.TV
In a statement posted on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) website, Baldoz said such firms require jobseekers to buy "training kits" and shell out money for supposed training.
"Employers should not require workers or even applicants to buy their products as this is tantamount to violation of the law," Baldoz said.
Article 112 of the Labor Code and Article 288 of the Revised Penal Code prohibit employers from obliging workers to buy merchandise and commodities from them.
Baldoz cited the recent case of a worker who filed a complaint with DOLE’s Public Assistance Complaint Unit (PACU) after being made to buy a water purifier and a training kit by a Malate-based firm as a requirement for a job that turned out to be non-existent.
Complainant Israel Garduque, 25, said the person who interviewed him when he submitted his application told him that he should first buy an appliance the firm was selling. He was also told to pay for training kits, and undergo training before he could be hired.
“I was desperate for a job that’s why I readily agreed to pay P3,500 for a water purifier and another P550 for a training kit before I underwent a two-week training for a job in which did not materialize," the DOLE statement quoted Garduque as saying.
He said he stopped training with the marketing firm when he sensed that the jobs promised to applicants were non-existent. He wanted a refund of the money that the marketing firm allegedly fleeced from him.
“Garduque’s case is still being heard at the DOLE Regional Office in the National Capital Region where it was referred to by the PACU," Baldoz said. - KBK/MRT, GMANews.TV
Friday, December 17, 2010
Declaration of the 3rd Labour and Employment
Unilateral EU declaration regarding the situation in Birma/Myanmar regarding fundamental principles and rights at work. This declaration is circulated at the conference:
The EU refers to the last report of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Myanmar Myanmar
Find here attached the Declaration of the 3rd Labour and Employment Ministers’ Conference (LEMCIII) which was held after the consultations with the social partners in Leiden and the Unilateral EU declaration regarding the situation in Burma.
The declaration emphasises the different measures taken to lead to a “job rich” recovery and their impact on budgets. The text welcomes the Social Partners’ Forum on March 29 and on December 12 saying that “social partners can play a constructive role in the crisis recovery process”. Contrary to what the employers asked in their statement, the Ministers also call for implementation of the ILO Global Jobs Pact and the Decent Work Agenda. The Ministers observed progress on social protection and they look forward to June 2011 ILO Conference. They reaffirmed the importance of corporate social responsibility which helps “employers develop joint ownership of core labour standards, social stability and social justice with their employees”. The Ministers also called for better linkages between the worlds of education, training and work in order to foster the development of new skills, especially for the low-carbon economy- better anticipate future skills’ needs and create “robust national competency and skills frameworks.”
The Ministers undertook the following tasks:
1. contribute to the global debate on Employment and Social Policy,
2. promote social dialogue through developing active involvement of social partners in the ASEM employment and social policy cooperation, including technical projects,
3. strengthen dialogue and cooperation through regular SOMs
4. implement projects: Social protection (Finland/Vietnam), Youth Employment (China/Spain), Health and Safety at Work (Singapore, Indonesia/France), Skills Policies (the Philippines/EU country tbd)
Kind regards,
Yorgos Altintzis
Policy Assistant
tel (direct): +32 2 224 0337
email: georgios.altintzis@ituc-csi.org
Source:
ITUC International Trade Union Confederation
CSI Confédération syndicale internationale
CSI Confederación Sindical Internacional
ΔΣΣ Διεθνής Συνομοσπονδία Συνδικάτων
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Canada supplies 90% of Philippine asbestos imports
Manila, Philippines -- Preliminary data from the Bureau of Customs showed Jeffrey Mine and Lab Chrysotile from Canada supplied 90% of Philippine asbestos imports in 2007-2009. Jeffrey Mine supplied 86% of the total imports!
Brazil’s Sama S.A. Mineracoes Associates and Tsutsui Trading supplied 8% of the imports while the remaining 2% came from South Africa’s C.J. Petrow & Company and China’s Sichuan Textiles Import & Export.
The Philippines imported a total of 5,953,074 kilograms of chrysotile fibers during the two-year period.
To: ban-asbestos-philippines@googlegroups.com; a-ban@googlegroups.com
Source:
Dominador M. Tuvera
Campaign Officer
Associated Labor Unions (ALU) - TUCP
Tel.: +632 922 2575; Cell.: +63 927 8095221
Email: dtuvera@gmail.com
Brazil’s Sama S.A. Mineracoes Associates and Tsutsui Trading supplied 8% of the imports while the remaining 2% came from South Africa’s C.J. Petrow & Company and China’s Sichuan Textiles Import & Export.
The Philippines imported a total of 5,953,074 kilograms of chrysotile fibers during the two-year period.
To: ban-asbestos-philippines@googlegroups.com; a-ban@googlegroups.com
Source:
Dominador M. Tuvera
Campaign Officer
Associated Labor Unions (ALU) - TUCP
Tel.: +632 922 2575; Cell.: +63 927 8095221
Email: dtuvera@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Bukidnon farm workers camp out of capitol to demand minimum wage
December 11, 2010
MALAYBALAY — Around 500 farm workers from different municipalities in Bukidnon province set up a “Kampuhan sa Mag-uuma,” or farmers’ camp, in front of the provincial capitol in protest of the low salaries they receive from plantation owners.
The farmers, led by Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma-Bukidnon (Kasama-Bukidnon), Organisasyon sa mga Yanong Obrerong Nagkahiusa and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Northern Mindanao Region, want the implementation of the minimum wage in the region as well as the realization of the benefits for sugarcane workers through the Social Amelioration Fund.
Based on an order issued by the National Wages and Productivity Commission in August this year, the region’s agricultural workers are supposed to receive P229 to P244 daily based on four categories that depend on plantation locations.
“Most of the farmers in the province are landless and rely on their daily wage as farm hands,” said Danilo V. Menente, chairman of Kasama-Bukidnon.
“But Bukidnon farm workers are usually paid as low as P80 a day — with luck, they could get P120. The harvesting or hauling rate of sugarcane is roughly P0.10 to P0.12 per kilogram,” he added.
Farmers also complain that since there are times they are forced to borrow from landowners, they are subjected to unfair deals that they could not refuse.
“It is always agreed on that these farmers would only sell to the landowner who dictates the price for their harvest,” said Mr. Menente.
On Dec. 7, Vice-Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri, Jr., with representatives from the provincial offices of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Agrarian Reform, faced the farmers in a dialogue.
The farmers demanded an investigation into the wage system in every municipality of the province and asked the provincial government to support or provide subsidies to cooperatives established by farmers.
Mr. Zubiri said that they could not give subsidies to the cooperatives but could help them by giving fertilizers and seedlings.
The farmers also said the government should control the increases of farm input prices and the decreasing price of agricultural products such as vegetables. They also asked for trainings for livelihood programs that could augment their incomes.
Finally, the farmers’ groups called again for another negotiation, asking for an ordinance that will sanction farm owners who do not follow the minimum wage order and provide benefits for the farmers.
The Kampuhan will be capped on Dec. 10 by a caravan to nearby Cagayan de Oro City and a march-rally to be participated in by other progressive blocs in the region to commemorate the International Human Rights Day. — Louise G. Dumas, Businessworld
MALAYBALAY — Around 500 farm workers from different municipalities in Bukidnon province set up a “Kampuhan sa Mag-uuma,” or farmers’ camp, in front of the provincial capitol in protest of the low salaries they receive from plantation owners.
The farmers, led by Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma-Bukidnon (Kasama-Bukidnon), Organisasyon sa mga Yanong Obrerong Nagkahiusa and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Northern Mindanao Region, want the implementation of the minimum wage in the region as well as the realization of the benefits for sugarcane workers through the Social Amelioration Fund.
Based on an order issued by the National Wages and Productivity Commission in August this year, the region’s agricultural workers are supposed to receive P229 to P244 daily based on four categories that depend on plantation locations.
“Most of the farmers in the province are landless and rely on their daily wage as farm hands,” said Danilo V. Menente, chairman of Kasama-Bukidnon.
“But Bukidnon farm workers are usually paid as low as P80 a day — with luck, they could get P120. The harvesting or hauling rate of sugarcane is roughly P0.10 to P0.12 per kilogram,” he added.
Farmers also complain that since there are times they are forced to borrow from landowners, they are subjected to unfair deals that they could not refuse.
“It is always agreed on that these farmers would only sell to the landowner who dictates the price for their harvest,” said Mr. Menente.
On Dec. 7, Vice-Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri, Jr., with representatives from the provincial offices of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Agrarian Reform, faced the farmers in a dialogue.
The farmers demanded an investigation into the wage system in every municipality of the province and asked the provincial government to support or provide subsidies to cooperatives established by farmers.
Mr. Zubiri said that they could not give subsidies to the cooperatives but could help them by giving fertilizers and seedlings.
The farmers also said the government should control the increases of farm input prices and the decreasing price of agricultural products such as vegetables. They also asked for trainings for livelihood programs that could augment their incomes.
Finally, the farmers’ groups called again for another negotiation, asking for an ordinance that will sanction farm owners who do not follow the minimum wage order and provide benefits for the farmers.
The Kampuhan will be capped on Dec. 10 by a caravan to nearby Cagayan de Oro City and a march-rally to be participated in by other progressive blocs in the region to commemorate the International Human Rights Day. — Louise G. Dumas, Businessworld
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