Discrimination

A disagreement regarding the compulsory retirement age of its flight attendants has prevented Philippine Airlines (PAL) and a flight attendants’ union from approving a new labor agreement.

Good looks can kill a woman’s chances of snaring jobs considered “masculine,” according to a study by the University of Colorado Denver Business School.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has launched a trialog that tackled workplace discrimination, including issues against women, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexual (LGBT) workers.

In an effort to promote women’s human rights in the Philippines, it is now illegal to ban unmarried single mothers from enrolling in schools. The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and United Nations Development Programme unveiled Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9710, also known as the Magna Carta of Women (MCW), on…

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS at Philippine Airlines (PAL) are planning to strike, accusing management of trying to impose a “discriminatory policy” lowering the retirement age to 40.

The launch of the Magna Carta of Women Implementing Rules and Regulations (MCW IRR) last week is hailed as a ground-breaking event as it provides the legal framework that recognizes women’s role in nation-building, and promotes equality between women and men in Philippine society.

President Obama today called on the U.S. Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to close the pay gap that leaves women earning only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. He says the Paycheck Fairness Act is a common-sense bill that will help ensure that men and women who do equal work receive…

MANILA, Philippines – Their physical handicap it appears, is not the biggest battle confronting persons with disabilities (PWDs). It is the government’s inability to implement the laws that protect their rights that is their biggest challenge.

FAIRFAX, Virginia – The Maryland Department of Labor reversed an order that withheld unemployment benefits from one of three Filipina nurses who were fired from a Baltimore hospital for speaking Tagalog.

A Filipina worker in west Australia has dropped a suit that she filed against a Perth franchise of global fast food giant McDonald’s for causing her alleged “forced abortion,” and accepted instead a confidential settlement, according to a report posted Thursday on an Australian news site.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Members of gays and lesbians groups here danced to disco music along downtown Baguio on Sunday, celebrating the 4th Baguio Pride Week by preaching gay rights in their colorful costumes and wigs.

BALTIMORE, Maryland – Four Filipina ex-staffers of a Baltimore City hospital haven’t gotten over the shock of being summarily fired from their jobs, allegedly because they spoke Pilipino during their lunch break.

MANILA, Philippines – The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has no problem with gays and lesbians who want to take the civil service exam, but would require them to use their latest photographs in their application forms, especially those who have altered their appearance to resemble their preferred sex.  

An official of the Catholic Church has warned Filipino homosexuals not to seek employment in Saudi Arabia following the recent issuance of the Kingdom of a laws banning gay and lesbian workers in their country.

While there is no denying the fact that the quality of today’s local lifestyle and fashion magazines has improved a hundredfold both in visual appeal and content since the days of newsprint and smudgy ink, personally I have yet to find a magazine that speaks to me and talks about women my age. Sure, I…

Is there a global standard for gender equality? Could we use such a standard to hold companies accountable for their progress toward providing men and women with equal opportunities?

Adding color, in so many ways, to the May 2010 elections is the participation of Ang Ladlad—the political party of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. Ang Ladlad is vying for a seat in Congress through the party-list system. The journey was long and challenging.

SAN FRANCISCO – A Filipino shipyard worker, along with his union and supporters, launched a protest in San Francisco for being unjustly fired because of his sexual orientation.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ordered K-Mart to pay a 73-year-old former Pinay employee US$120,000 in damages.

Social conflicts related to race, color, sex and religions often result in historical atrocities around the world, said the permanent representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United Nations.

Decisions for Work

Discrimination refers to distinguishing illicitly among people, not on individual merit, but on the basis of prejudice that leads to harmful or negative impacts on the interests of employees. Refusing employment because of membership in a group or certain characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, physical ability, sexual orientation and age is…

LABOR CHIEF REITERATES MANILA, Philippines—HIV testing cannot be a requirement for employment, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said in a statement e-mailed to media outfits.

MANILA, Philippines – One in five Filipino women under 50 years old have suffered physical abuse since the age of 15, a latest government survey released yesterday showed.

“Religions derive their power and popularity in part from the ethical compass they offer. So why do so many faiths help perpetuate something that most of us regard as profoundly unethical: the oppression of women?”

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has approved on second reading the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons that would mandate local governments to have specific programs for people with disabilities.

THE 30th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)—which follows this month—provides a great opportunity to reflect about the world’s situation of women’s rights. In spite of progress in the promotion of gender equality, discriminations on the basis of gender are still pervasive in all societies.…

MANILA, Philippines – Gays and lesbians cannot be considered marginalized in society because they are already “overly represented” in Congress, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Joker Arroyo came to the defense of Ang Ladlad, a gay organization whose petition for party-list status was junked by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on grounds of “immorality.”

The Supreme Court has granted in part a petition of female   flight attendants of the country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) seeking to remove a gender bias provision in their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that sets the retirement age for women five years earlier than that for their male counterparts.