Labor groups alarmed by growing anti-worker position of nat’l leaders

Labor groups expressed alarm at the growing anti-labor position of many of the country’s national leaders.

The labor sector is the most abused sector in the Philippine economic equation, bowing to the influences of money sources or investors, the object of government’s wooing and cajoling, offering them everything, from tax holidays to guarantees against labor unrest, labor leaders said.

In contrast, the labor sector had been at the receiving end of government neglect in terms of just pay to security of stay in the job, they added.

How the country’s national leaders view labor is better understood at the ongoing controversy in the award of bus franchises to a group of bus operators, they said.

An issue that labor is getting its just share from assets left by a bankrupt company has now become an issue of corruption that will lead to over 2,000 workers being deprived of the fruits of an award issued by the correct courts and affirmed by the Supreme Court (SC).

The first issue here is the SC’s affirmed award as just compensation to former workers of the closed bus company. The compensation affirmed having included the franchise, the government is duty bound to protect the interest of the workers.

By the acts of political exhibitionism, these over 2,000 workers of the collapsed Pantranco Bus Line will get nothing from what the SC has awarded them.

“It is sad the result of this call for clean government is the loss of benefits to over 2,000 Pantranco workers,” the labor group said.

Dave Diwa, president of the National Labor Union (NLU), said what is happening to the workers of Pantranco is a sad testament of how politics and politicians sacrifice in this country.

The courts and the proper government agencies have spoken the issue of the Pantranco franchise is being legal.
“The fact that the courts decided to award the franchise of the Pantranco Bus Co. to the workers as part of compensation speaks volumes about the franchise being legit and where the heart of the government and its laws should be in this issue,” Diwa said.

According to Diwa, another fact is the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) issued the franchise to the new owners after “ following strictly rules in this regard.”

“No agency in the government is in a better position than the LTFRB to know which franchise is dead,” he said, adding the fact that the award to the new owners followed strictly government rules, presupposed that the LTFRB people knew what they were doing.

Diwa said it’s a form of a comedy of errors when we hear bus companies supported by some solons declaring the franchise awarded by the courts and issued by LTFRB as expired and inactive.

But to Diwa and his allies in the labor sector, this is one joke by some businessmen and their supporters in the lower house that makes the labor sector sick.

This is one case of the medical doctor being wrong and the quack doctor being right. In the end, patient dies.

In this Pantranco labor union case, over 2,000 families who had fought for this win for over 25 years will end up with their dreams for better life and justice dead.

Diwa urged other labor groups to “circle the wagon” and fight to make sure that justice is served to their fellow workers.