CPP holds rare Congress: Party reaffirms basic beliefs, strategy

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said it held a Congress, only the second so far in the party's 48-year existence, during the last quarter of 2016.

Based on the CPP's communique posted on its website, the Second Congress was "held inside a guerrilla base" and was "secured by a battalion of New People’s Army (NPA) Red fighters and enjoyed boundless support of the peasant masses and indigenous minority groups in the area. "
There were "120 delegates "both attending and non- attending."

The Second Congress basically reaffirmed the party's adherence to "Marxism-Leninism-Maoism" and the strategy and tactics for advancing "protracted people's war." These have previously been reaffirmed in the early 1990's.

In short, nothing much will change from the party's modus operandi, in an era that has seen the decline of Leftist parties all over the world that are characterized by a commitment to a singular ideology and very hierarchical, undemocratic structures.

Perhaps the one "change" the party instituted in the Second Congress is the emphasis on the age balance of the constituents of its Central Committee. According to a new rule, the party will "ensure that the Central Committee shall have a balance of young, middle-aged and senior cadres."

Not much, however, is mentioned about the composition of the newly elected Political Bureau (Politburo), which possibly manages the day-to-day operation of the party, and which is possibly entirely made up of the same old cadres that have held the positions.

The party looks poised to continue being the largest, most formally structured, most independent and richest political community in the Philippines for many more decades to come.

REPOST: Contractualization will proliferate under new DOLE order--PM

The militant labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) asserted that contractualization is allowed and will continue to proliferate under the new Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order named DO 174 issued yesterday.

“News that DO 174 prohibits contractualization is fake! What prohibition? What total ban? DO 174 merely reiterates the bans already provided for in the old DO 18-A. Everything old is presented as new again,” declared Wilson Fortaleza, PM spokesperson.

Members of PM, the union PALEA and other groups under the coalition Nagkaisa held a rally yesterday at the DOLE while the DO 174 was being announced by DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello. More protests are planned nationwide as a result of labor’s rejection of DO 174. Today in Cebu City, workers are holding a mass action to coincide with a House Labor Committee hearing.

Fortaleza explained that “Bello is acting like Pontius Pilate by passing the ball to Congress on prohibiting all forms of contractualization. The Labor Secretary is vested by Article 106 of the Labor Code with the power to prohibit or restrict labor contracting. Why does he not want exercise this authority to prohibit? Given the irreconcilable positions between employers and workers, why does he side with the capitalists?”

“We want Bello to go. Bello’s order contradicts the President’s directive during the labor dialogue to end contractualization and agency hiring,” Fortaleza said. Labor leaders had a dialogue with President Rodrigo Duterte last February 27 at Malacanang and the latter acceded to the demand to prohibit all forms of contractualization.

“DO 18-A was issued in late 2011 in the wake of PALEA’s resistance to the contractualization scheme at Philippine Airlines. Since D0 18-A merely regulated not prohibited contractualization, the problem of endo has gone from bad to worse over the past five years. With DO 18-A rehashed as DO 174, contractualization will only get worst in the years to come,” Fortaleza extrapolated.

He insisted that “Under DO 174, replacement of regular workers with contractual workers will continue. Agency rather direct hiring will be the norm. Manpower agencies will remain as middleman between principal employers and workers. As lifetime agency employees, the best workers can hope for is a minimum wage while principal employers reap the fruits of labor productivity."

March 17, 2017

 

http://partidongmanggagawa2001.blogspot.com/2017/03/contractualization-will-proliferate.html

Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino: Statement after the labor meeting with Duterte

Aral sa pakikipag-usap ng labor groups kay DU30:
PAGKAKAISA NG MANGGAGAWANG PILIPINO
ANG KAILANGAN UPANG WAKASAN ANG KONTRAKTWALISASYON
...

MATAPOS ang walong buwan sa pagkahalal bilang pangulo ng bansa, hinarap na rin ni pangulong Duterte ang mga lider-manggagawa. Ilang beses na niyang pinulong ang mga kapitalista. Ngunit nitong Pebrero 27 lamang siya humarap sa mga lider ng kilusang paggawa, na mahigit dalawang dekada nang nakikibaka laban sa kontraktwalisasyon.
Sa wakas, humarap din siya sa mga manggagawang pinagmulan ng 16 milyong boto na nagluklok sa kanya sa Malakanyang. Binoto siya dahil sa plataporma ng “pagbabago”, ng pangakong wawakasan ang kontraktwalisasyon liban pa sa pagsugpo sa droga na ramdam ng nakararami bilang isang salot sa kanilang mga komunidad.
Bakit humarap si Digong sa mga manggagawa? Sapagkat paulit-ulit na hindi tinanggap ng mga manggagawa ang panukala ni DOLE Secretary Bello na payagan ang kontraktwalisasyon.
Sa “win-win solution” ng DOLE at DTI, ang mga kontraktwal ay magiging regular ng mga agency. Kalokohang panukala dahil inililigtas pa rin nito ang mga “principal employer” – ang mga kapitalista – sa kanilang obligasyon na bayaran ng tamang sweldo’t benepisyo ang mga manggagawa sa kanilang pagkakaregular sa kompanya.
Pilit kasing hinahanap ni Bello ang kompromiso sa mga agency – gayong iligal ang kanilang ginagawa na laway lamang ang puhunan habang nagpapasasa sa pawis ng mga kontraktwal na manggagawa at nagpapalago sa tubo ng mga kapitalista.
Subalit sa pakikipagpulong sa mga manggagawa, naiipit si Bello sa naunang pahayag ni Digong na “contractualization must stop”. Kaya siya hinamon ng mga lider ng Nagkaisa labor coalition (BMP, TUCP, FFW, SENTRO, PM, PTGWO, atbp.) na iharap sila kay pangulong Duterte. Sa naitakdang pagpupulong, nagpahayag naman ng kahandaang dumalo ang grupong KMU.
Ano ang naganap sa naturang pagpupulong? Umayon si Digong sa hinaing ng mga manggagawa. Ito ang kakaiba dahil sa nagdaang mga pangulo, ang ikakatwiran nila’y maraming mawawalan ng trabaho kapag sinugpo ang kontraktwalisasyon.
Subalit imbes na pirmahan ang panukalang Executive Order laban dito (na naunang ipinanukala ng BMP at kinalauna’y sinuportahan ng Nagkaisa). Inutusan niya si Sec. Bello na gumawa ng Department Order laban sa kontraktwalisasyon. Nangako din siyang tatakan bilang “urgent” ang panukala sa Kongreso – ang House Bill 444 – na ipagbawal ang kontraktwalisasyon.
AS IS, WHERE IS! Walang binago ang naturang pagpupulong. Nananatiling pangako lamang ang “contractualization must stop” ng Malakanyang. Ngunit para sa totoong aksyon (hindi lamang salita) ang dapat daw kalampagin ng mga manggagawa ay ang DOLE at kongreso’t senado, na para bang matutuwa na ang manggagawa sa simpleng pagsang-ayon ni Digong sa ating mga pahayag kahit wala naman siyang ginawang kongkretong hakbang para tugunan ang ating hinaing.
Sa madaling sabi, iwas-pusoy si Digong! Si Secretary Bello ang naging tampulan ng sisi. Dumulog daw tayo sa kongreso’t senado.
Mga kamanggagawa’t kababayan! Hindi ipinatawag ang naturang pulong mula sa kabutihang-loob ng Malakanyang. Naobliga lamang ang DOLE na iharap kay Digong ang mga lider-manggagawa nang hindi sila matinag sa kanilang nagkakaisang tindig laban sa kontraktwalisasyon.
Pagkakaisa at pakikibaka. Ito ang sinandigan ng manggagawa nang maobliga ang Malakanyang na harapin sila sa mesa. Dito rin nakasalalay ang totoong paglulutas sa problema ng kontraktwalisasyon.
Tuloy ang laban hangga’t hindi nakakamit ang inaasam na tagumpay. Huwag manahimik, makontento sa resulta ng pag-uusap at simpleng umasa’t maghintay kay Digong na lutasin ang kontraktwalisasyon. Ituloy-tuloy ang pagkilos upang presyurin ang gobyerno, laluna ang pangulo, na tuparin ang pangakong “contractualization must stop”. Tungkulin ng kilusang unyon na pakilusin, hindi lamang ang kanyang kasapian, kundi ang milyon-milyong hindi organisadong mga kontraktwal, sa iba’t ibang mga protesta laban sa kontraktwalisasyon.
Manggagawa, magkaisa! Puksain ang iskemang ito ng lantarang pambabarat sa sahod upang palaguin pa ang tubo ng mga kapitalista. Hindi ito susukuan ng mga employer nang walang laban sapagkat bilyon-bilyong tubo ang nakakamkam nila sa ganitong sistema, nang kakutsaba ang mga manpower agency at labor service cooperatives. Tiyak tayong gagalaw sila para pumanig sa kanila ang ilalabas na Department Order ni Sec. Bello at upang hindi maaprubahan ng kongreso’t senado ang anumang panukalang batas laban sa kontrakwalisasyon.
Sa gagawing maneobra ng mga kapitalista sa DOLE at sa kongreso’t senado, hamunin natin si Digong na pumanig sa mga manggagawang inaabuso. Dito natin mabibisto kung ang “contractualization must stop” ay isang pangakong pang-kuha lamang ng boto o kung seryoso’t sinsero itong paninindigan ni Rodrigo Duterte. #
Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)
Marso 2017
National Office: 19 Mayaman St., UP Village, QC
FB: http://facebook.com/manggagawangpilipino | Tel: 4364307 | Email: bmp_national04@yahoo.com

https://web.facebook.com/manggagawangpilipino/posts/1313086078785333:0

Our Left and Duterte

To hold Duterte accountable for the killings is not inconsistent with working with him, as sector representatives, to improve the lot of workers -- provided that Duterte does not demand the silencing of mass organizations' critical voices in return for listening to their demands. And even if the lives of workers somehow do improve under this administration, the workers will mostly have themselves to thank, never Duterte. If Duterte does fold, it will only be because of the increasing pressure from a group that government has failed for decades.

But working within the administration and being responsible for the general implementation of its programs, while still calling oneself Leftist, is a different matter entirely. How can you be critical of the very government of which you are a part -- of a government, in fact, whose central policy is diametrically opposed to the values you are supposed to hold?

Ipanalo ang laban sa endo!
Papanagutin si Duterte sa mga pagpatay!
Ilantad ang lumalalang pasismo!
Palitan ang sistemang pang-ekonomya ng bansa at ng mundo!

REPOST: Workers win prohibition on endo and contractualization after dialogue with PDU30

PRESS STATEMENT
Nagkaisa Labor Coalition
28 Feb 2017
Workers win prohibition on endo and contractualization after dialogue with PDU30
After decades of consistent struggle against the epidemic of contractualization, workers may finally get their demand for its total prohibition, at least at the level of the Office of the President.
This chance became clearer when the President, after a three-hour dialogue with labor leaders Monday evening, demonstrated empathy and understanding for the plight of Filipino workers by reiterating his position that he is not going to renege on his promise to end contractualization both in the private and public sector.
"Ayoko itong agency agency... walang agency agency hiring. Kawawa ang worker sa ganito,” declared President Duterte during the meeting as he directed Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to come out with a Department Order that will meet the objective of restoring the norm of regular jobs through direct hiring.
DOLE was also instructed to resolve the 2011 PAL-PALEA dispute on outsourcing the soonest time possible.
Furthermore, the President indicated that he was inclined to honor the request of labor to certify HB 4444 of Rep. Raymond Mendoza (TUCP Partylist) as an urgent administration measure.
The President pointed out that contractualization only enriches the employer but keeps the workers poor and unable to plan a better life for the future. He also added that many agencies are also owned by the employers and are just a legal camouflage to prevent the regularization of workers and to defeat the workers 'exercise of their rights under the Constitution.
The dialogue ended months of speculation in the business community that the President may only be after agencies that were practicing endo (the hiring of workers only for five months) as he categorically stated that his policy extends fully to ending contractualization through middlemen or manpower agencies.
More than a third of total workforce employed in establishments employing 20 workers and above is considered ‘non-regular’, according to the latest survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The number would rise significantly had the survey covered firms employing 20 workers and below as they comprise more than 90% of registered business establishments.
Now the DOLE was instructed to play hardball and a major challenge is posed upon Congress as well. Will DOLE officials and members of Congress who, during the past several months, were pushing for the compromise position (win-win) being proposed by the DTI and employers’ groups finally toe the line of the President?
We therefore urge our fellow workers to remain vigilant to make sure that government bodies under instruction to comply with our demands do not stray out of line. This recent advance in our struggle for decent work confirms the power of unions and organized resistance in winning the battle against anti-labor policies.
Hundreds of Nagkaisa members kept vigil and lit candles at the foot of Mendiola while their leaders meet the President last night. A day of action by women workers will also be held on March 6 and 8.
The President also made several other commitments that we need to press forward, including our proposals to review and make changes to the old regime of wage setting; the signing of ILO Convention 151 for the public sector; representation in tripartite bodies; deputization of labor leaders as inspectors; and the holding of regular dialogues with labor, including meeting with the striking transport workers.
It ain’t over until it’s over. Workers have a world to win. The struggle goes on. ###

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1345029102238415&id=421413561266645