Inspired by the ongoing “Occupy Wall St.” protest against corporate greed in the United states, at least a thousand workers belonging to the Koalisyon Kontra Kontraktwalisasyon (Kontra) marched from the University of Sto. Tomas to the historic Mendiola bridge in Manila where they asked President Benigno Aquino III to scrap Lucio Tan’s outsourcing plan at the Philippine Airlines (PAL).

The labor groups likewise scored the high tribunal for making a mockery of justice when it recalled its affirmative ruling on the illegal dismissal case of the flight attendants.

“We are the 99% but why is the government taking the side of Lucio Tan?  It looks like the whole government machinery under P-Noy had already been captured by the capitalist class,” said Kontra in a statement, referring to President Aquino’s approval of Lucio Tan’s outsourcing plan and the Supreme Court’s controversial turnaround on the case of flight attendants.

The “we are the 99%” became the popular slogan of the still growing “Occupy Wall St.” protest as it captures the majority sentiments of the Americans against greed and corporate downsizing.

Protesting workers were also dismayed at the way President Aquino addressed the PAL issue during his talk with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).

“His argument doesn’t really make sense.  Why pit the need for repatriation of 10 million OFWs against the rights of 2,600 PAL workers? We remind the President that labor right is neither a number game nor a multiple choice exam,” said the group, adding that the Constitution explicitly commands the President to give full protection to labor.

The labor groups asserted though that Malacanan can still reverse the situation and serve the greater national interest by ordering PAL to take back its workers while the court resolves with finality the legal disputes around the termination and outsourcing issue.

Just recently, the Tourism Congress issued its appeal for an end to the labor dispute as PAL’s operational problems had already taken its toll on the country’s tourism industry and on other business as well.

Meanwhile, local and international support for PALEA continue to grow with international trade unions from the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and many more planning to hold solidarity actions at Philippine consulate offices abroad.

Local civil society groups, on the other hand, have already launched their boycott PAL campaign on-line in support of PALEA.

On September 27 and October 1, PAL has effectively locked out 2,600 of its regular employees after the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA), rejected and protested its outsourcing plan.

Kontra said the outsourcing and contractualization scheme destroy the workers’ rights to security of tenure, to form or join unions, and to collectively bargain, as being manifested in many big firms such as PAL, Hanjin Shipyard, Hotel Dusit, and in the public sector as well.  ###

Kontra is composed of different labor groups, including the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Makabayan, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), National Confederation of Labor (NCL), and the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK), among others.

PRESS RELEASE
Koalisyon Kontra Kontraktwalisasyon
13 October 2011