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Laban Ng Masa condemns violent dispersal of PLDT union picket and calls for indignation actions and solidarity against job contractualization
Press Statement - October 11, 2007
Laban ng Masa strongly condemns the violent dispersal of a picket action staged by workers of PLDT in front of the Department of Labor & Employment yesterday afternoon, October 10. Workers who were on a fast in front of the DOLE office for the second day yesterday were mauled by the police and hauled off to jail. One woman leader, Merzi Florencia Chan, suffered a broken nose because of the beatings.
Some of the workers and supporters of the PLDT union who trooped to the Western Police District to show solidarity were again dispersed by the police last night.
Up to now, PLDT union president Pete Pinlac, union officers Arturo Castillo and John Beato, union lawyer Virginia Pinlac and one more supporter are still in jail. The WPD police slapped all of them with charges of obstruction of peace and orderly traffic and violation of Batas Pambansa 880, a law enacted during the martial law period under then dictator Ferdinand Marcos. BP 880 prohibits the holding of rallies without permit from local authorities, and was used by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to violently disperse rallies during the height of protests against the "Hello Garci" scandal.
Laban ng Masa particularly assails the collusion of the PLDT management, the DOLE, and the PNP police in attacking a peaceful assembly of workers protesting the recent dismissal of 575 regular PLDT employees, 450 of whom were women workers, September 15. The dismissal was aimed at replacing regular jobs in PLDT with contractual jobs which are non-unionized, are paid less and do not provide for any regular benefits.
Laban ng Masa calls on all workers' and people's organizations to protest the violent dispersal and to call for the immediate release of detained PLDT leaders and supporters. We also throw our support to the PLDT union's struggle against job contractualization and call on other unions to form a solid labor front against this issue, against the big companies that resort to this practice, and against the government that allows this to happen through unjust laws and repressive actions.
Laban ng Masa will join the protest picket today and the other mass actions that will be launched by the PLDT workers to denounce the new wave of brutality against workers.
October 11, 2007
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