Advisory: Workers to protest contractualization in SLEX

Media Advisory

September 20, 2017

Partido Manggagawa

Contact Randy Tuazon @ 09551488957

Workers to protest contractualization in SLEX

What: Some 50 workers to picket-protest during mediation meeting

When: Today, September 20 (Wednesday), 1:00 pm

Where: DOLE-NCMB Laguna, Regon and Sons Building (along Canlubang-Mayapa Cadre Road, 100 meters from Checkpoint Mall, Calamba; from SLEX exit at Canlubang then proceed along Mayapa Cadre Road)

Details:

Some 90 employees of the San Miguel Corp.-owned Manila Toll Expressway System, Inc. (MATES) are to be terminated en masse this month but are to be transferred to an outsourcing agency called PITC. Workers are alleging that the the scheme is a union busting and job contractualization manuever.

The affected employees work the tolls from Alabang to Calamba, Laguna and onto Sto. Tomas, Batangas. A union was formed and certified as a bargaining agent just a few months ago.

Scores of workers picketed the mediation hearing last week and will hold another protest to coincide with another meeting on Wednesday.

Randy Tuason, a leader of the MATES workers, declared that "We are demanding that workers be absorbed as regular employees in PITC and that the union also be recognized."

Rene Magtubo, chair of the militant group Partido Manggagawa, which is assisting the MATES workers, said that “Ending endo was supposed to be a policy shift of this administration. President Duterte kept repeating in dialogues with labor leaders that he wants to stop the prevalent practice of workers being transferred to agencies instead being hired as regular workers in principal companies. So why is this being allowed at SLEX?”

“If this is allowed at MATES-SLEX then it will be followed in other toll roads. Instead of toll payment interconnection as announced a few days ago, we will have rampant contractualization in the expressways. We call on the DOLE to intervene in this issue,” he added. ###