[asia-apec 1341] Women Workers Press for Wage Increase

[tpl at cheerful.com]

From: GABRIELA	
28 OCTOBER 1999

PROTEST FOR WAGES TURNS VIOLET TODAY AT SHOEMART

Workers of Shoemart, Inc. (SM), the biggest retail chain in the Philippines
reported for work today sporting "Itaas ang Sahod" (Increase Wages!) tags
and frowns smeared on their faces with violet lipstick. 

"Violet is the women's symbol of protest. Our violet lipsticks and tags are
meant to mirror our disgust over a corporation we have helped build, yet
refuses to heed our justified demands for living wages," said Rose Gablanca,
Sandigan ng Manggagawa sa Shoemart, Inc., (SMS) union president. The
protest's launching is in time for the commemoration of the Philippine
National Women's Day of Protest -- October 28. Women make up 84% of SM
employees.

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations deadlocked yesterday
after three months of talks. "We find management's counter proposals
utterly unacceptable and insulting to the workers. Granting our demands
will not even make a dent on Mr. Henry Sy's billions of profit extracted
from an overworked, underpaid and exploited workforce," Gablanca stressed.

Workers demand a PhP 135 increase in their daily wages over a two-year
period, while management counters with a measly PhP 18 increase over a
period of three years.

Shoemart workers noted that while SM's net profit has balooned by 600% from
PhP 443M in 1994 to PhP 2.7B in 1998, workers received only an average
increase of PhP 55. "Our demands, when computed constitute but 0.25% of
Shoemart's 1998 profits." the union explained. 

Gablanca added that it is from a largely contractual workforce that Mr.
Sy is able to extract huge profits. Over 90% of the 20,000 Shoemart workers
in Metro Manila branches alone are contractual, working mostly as trainees
with only 3 to 5 months contract. This is in line with the government's
globalization policy of labor flexibilization through contractualization
and casualization of workers. Those on contractual basis are not entitled
to benefits given to the regular workers.  

"Contractual workers are the most exploited. They are hired only when needed
and ruthlessly fired the very day the peak season ends, even if it is
Christmas eve." The SM union likewise demands for an increase in the wages
of contractual workers while helping in the latter's fight for security of
tenure and regularization.

With the continuous increase in the prices of oil and basic commodities,
their meager wages are rendered worthless. "Our families are going hungry.
We cannot accept leftovers and grime while SM owners bask in their
luxuries. We cannot retract our demands when there is in fact nothing to
turn back to. We will fight. We are a workforce made strong by hunger,
united in poverty, and with nothing to lose." ###