GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION TO DENOUNCE BURMA’s 2010 ELECTIONS:

PHILIPPINES—Filipino solidarity activists under the Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBC-Phils) today staged a “PEOPLE’s ELECTION” in front of the Burma Embassy in Makati City to denounce Burma’s 2010 military elections, which according to the group is “a one-sided and undemocratic plan that will just legitimize the junta’s hold to power.”

Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Taga-Lungsod (KPML), Asian Bridge, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women –Asia Pacific (CATW-AP), APL-Youth, Akbayan and the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) were the organizations present during the rally.

“We urge Noynoy to adopt his late mother’s critical position against the ruling military generals in Burma. As the next Philippine president, he can even lead the ASEAN in applying stronger political pressures to the junta. He has to prove that Filipinos abhor tyrannical regimes like the one in Rangoon,“ Bans explained.

The group added that the ASEAN must also take bolder steps to compel the military regime of Burma to democratize. Bans continued, “it is no longer possible for the ASEAN to defend Burma at this stage. The ASEAN must now confess that the policy of constructive engagement to Burma is a miserable failure.”

Other international actions:

In New Delhi, India: People’s Elections and Rally. A People’s Election Commission was formed with Church and community leaders who will collect postcard ballots. Events will be held between 27 and 30 May on the Thai-Burma border, in India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, US, Canada, and Brazil, marking a Global Day of Action as part of the Global Campaign Against Burma’s 2010 Military Elections.

Despite the Arroyo regime’s efforts to disrupt the 107th celebration of International Labor Day through its dubious “holiday economics”, tens of thousands of workers belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and its allied organizations inundated the streets of major cities around the country to renew their commitment to the historic struggle for the emancipation of the working class and social transformation.

“Gloria never ceases to insult the working class,” Daniel L. Edralin, APL Chairperson said. “She is obviously ignorant of the historic importance of Labor Day,” he added.

May Day was born from the struggle for the eight-hour day. It has since come to symbolize the working class itself and its struggles.

With just a few days to go before the national elections, the elite-dominated electoral contest has yet to tackle issues that are dear to the working people. This would result to people trooping again to the polls without a clear idea of what they could expect from their candidates after being elected.

It is for this reason that the APL and its allies marched to project the “Labor Agenda.” The Agenda identifies specific programs aimed at promoting security of tenure and quality jobs for all or full employment, improving labor justice, strengthening the protection of labor and trade union rights, and advancing the economic and social justice.

“We are calling on all workers to vote for candidates who are committed to implement the Labor Agenda,” Edralin said.

The APL also endorsed Akbayan in the party list election and supported the senatorial bid of Risa Hontiveros.

At the same time, APL enjoined workers to use its collective vote to end the Arroyo regime’s Kleptocracy. “Enough of Arroyo and her ilk,” Edralin declared. “Let’s make sure that she and her anointed candidates, including “Villarroyo”, are roundly beaten in the coming elections,” Edralin asserted.

APL held rallies in Manila, Lipa, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos. In Manila, the APL linked up with the Labor Agenda Coalition in Mendiola.

Globalization continues to wreak havoc over the working class. The unfettered market forces it unleashed have resulted to a steep decline in the country’s industrial and agricultural sector, precipitating a massive unemployment crisis and widespread poverty. This is exacerbated by the widespread use and abuse of precarious forms of employment.

At the same time, labor rights are routinely violated as the country’s labor justice system remains slow and litigious, legitimized by martial law-crafted Labor Code with all its anti-worker and anti-union features. This dismal situation in the labor front, mixed with the government’s counter insurgency program, proved to be deadly for trade unionists, journalists and activists.

In this light, the different labor groups, coming from diverse ideological orientations, banded together under the Labor Agenda Coalition to promote and advance the policy of full employment, increased social protection, labor justice and strengthened protection of labor rights. Among its more important features are:

Secure and quality jobs: The workers’ constitutional right to security of tenure must be upheld as central government policy. All policies, including monetary, fiscal, trade and industrial policies, must be redirected towards the creation of secure and quality jobs for all. All our trade commitments, both the bilateral and multilateral, must be reviewed and renegotiated to ensure more equitable terms that would lead to development of a self-reliant economy and benefit the domestic labor force.

Improve labor justice system: The foremost need is to amend the Labor Code to dismantle all anti-labor provisions including procedural restrictions on the right to strike, free ingress/egress of company goods and personnel during strikes, limitations on the issues that are strikeable, and cumbersome union recognition procedures. The labor arbitration and adjudication system should be reformed towards streamlining and achieving full efficiency.

Strengthen trade union rights: The Assumption of Jurisdiction powers of the Secretary of Labor should be limited to those in the essential services as clearly defined by the ILO. Labor laws and policies particularly those that safeguard core labor standards, as well as the freedom of association and organization and the right to collective bargaining and strike, should be changed to comply with ILO conventions.

Uphold civil and political rights: Justice must be rendered to all victims of trade union and human rights violations. Victims must be indemnified while the perpetrators must be apprehended and punish.

Social and Economic Reforms: Fiscal policies should be reviewed and the automatic appropriations policy should be repealed to maximize budget allocation for public services, including the allocations for healthcare and education. A thoroughgoing agrarian reform must be implemented to pave the way for industrialization. The Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA) should be improved and implemented to facilitate and provide affordable if not free housing units to every family of workers and the urban and rural poor. An unemployment insurance system must be adopted after a careful study.

To ensure the implementation of labor’s priority agenda, workers must be represented in government bodies whose decisions affect the welfare of the working class.

The Labor Agenda Coalition calls on all workers to renew their commitment to the emancipation of the toiling people.