Photo credit: Inquirer
Churchpeople Workers Solidarity Statement
Three years ago, on May 13 2015, the “worst factory fire in the Philippines in recent years” took place in Valenzuela. The Kentex Manufacturing Corporation fire which killed 74 workers will always be remembered as one of the worst forms of violation of occupational health and safety standards in the country. With deep sympathy, the Churchpeople Workers Solidarity (CWS) extends its solidarity to the bereaved families of the workers killed at Kentex. The seventy four confirmed dead point to very serious occupational safety issues in the factories across the country.
Human rights and labor groups are expressing a growing concern over a series of workplace accidents in the country. This include the fire tragedy in Asiatech warehouse in Pasay in 2014 where 8 female workers died, the February 2017 HTI factory fire in Cavite Export Processing Zone that injured 87 workers, the Davao City NCCC mall fire in December 2017 which killed 38 call center agents. These, and other similar workplace accidents are living testimonies that, indeed, contractualization kills. Contractual workers continue to suffer violations of their workers’ rights—their rights to a living wage, legally-mandated benefits and job security, and their right to form union and collectively bargain.
Contractualization not only tramples upon the workers’ right to security of tenure, it also destroys the dignity of human life by forcing workers to work below the meagre minimum wage, with no benefits, and under poor health and safety work conditions. Kentex fire shows that the distinction made by law between illegal “labor-only contracting” and legal “job contracting” is an illusory one. Even President Duterte admitted that the Executive Order (EO) that he signed last Labor Day is powerless in putting an end to “endo”. Indeed, CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Philippines is correct in asserting that EO 51 is a “sign of disrespect to workers” and a “betrayal of workers’ trust”.
The church sees violations of occupational health and safety standards that result in workers’ deaths as criminal acts: “all violations of the integrity of the human person, all offenses against human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, degrading working conditions where men/women are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons: all these and the like are criminal: they poison civilization” (Gaudium et Spes, 27). In a recent forum on modern day slavery which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 5-8, Pope Francis exposes the many forms of modern day slavery: “It’s a practice that has deep roots and it manifests itself today and in many forms: human trafficking, exploitation through debt, exploitation of children, sexual exploitation and forced domestic work…” The Pope added that the only way get rid of modern day slavery is to address the “deepest roots of the problem”. He added that “when countries suffer extreme poverty, suffer violence and corruption, neither the economy, nor the legislative framework nor the basic infrastructure are effective; they fail to guarantee security or assets or essential rights.”
As we mark the third year of the Kentex tragedy, CWS, together with the families and friends of the victims continue demanding for justice and to unite in upholding the occupational health and safety and for other fundamental workers’ rights.We reiterate our call to President Duterte to immediately act and implement concrete policies that would abolish all forms of contractual labor. Compelled by the words of Pope Francis, we vow to commit ourselves to putting an end to all forms of modern day slavery by asserting the workers’ right to form labor unions because only with such unions can they strengthen their political and democratic rights.
Fr. Rudy Abao, MSC
Convener- Curchpeople Workers Solidarity (CWS)
