đź“· Altermidya
Filipino workers are up in arms, not only against the manufactured economic reality by the Marcos Jr. regime; they are also protesting about the systematic killings of labor organizers and union leaders, with 102 of them murdered since the Duterte regime took over in 2016.
The crackdown has not stopped with the Marcos Jr. administration, as data from the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) showed that aside from the 102 extrajudicial killings (EJKs), 10 individuals were abducted in six cases of enforced disappearances while there have been 102 cases of illegal arrest and detention since.
The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and the leaders of its regional chapters as well as CTUHR exposed the continuing bloody state-perpetrated crackdown on trade union rights in a press briefing on April 8, 2025. Instead of promoting the welfare of workers, KMU Vice Chairperson Joselito Ustarez argued that the Duterte and Marcos Jr. regimes failed to raise wages, tossing to regional wage boards the task of determining the pittance Filipino workers should get, thus abdicating its duty to ensure that workers are liberated from destitution.
“Handa kaming makipagtuusan, sa lansangan man, sa korte ng Pilipinas, o maging sa ICC para kamtin ang hustisya. Pananagutin namin si Duterte at sisingilin si Marcos sa kasalanan nila sa mga manggagawa!” Ustarez declared, as KMU and All Workers Unity prepared to wage nationwide actions to dramatize the oppression and exploitation of workers preparatory to the May 1 celebration of Labor Day. Ustarez revealed that aside from the murderous rampage against workers following the establishment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) by Duterte in 2018, the Duterte and Marcos Jr. regimes conspired to dismantle unions and hinder collective bargaining negotiations in various corporations.
KMU and CTUHR said among the actions condoned by the government were the union busting against 200 contractual workers of the Progressive Workers Association in Exeltech Manpower and Services, Inc., Coca-Cola Cebu (PWAETMSICCC-IBM-KMU), persecution against labor organizers in Soccsksargen, house-to-house red-tagging campaigns against agricultural workers in Central Luzon, red-tagging and terrorist financing raps against labor institutions and the enforced disappearance of William Lariosa, who was snatched on April 10, 2024.
“Walang tigil ang pananakot at harassment sa mga manggagawa at labor organizer sa Davao at sa mga rehiyon. Gugunitain namin ang unang taon ng pagkawala ni William Lariosa sa patuloy na paglaban para sa hustisya” added Rauf Sissay, public information officer of KMU-Southern Mindanao Region (KMU-SMR.) The state has not searched for Lariosa, long targeted by military agents for his work in organizing unions and expanding the network of progressive unions in Mindanao, and his relatives and friends have been disgusted by government deliberate attempt to paper over his disappearance.
KMU declared that it will exhaust all means to pursue justice for victims of trade union and human rights violations under Duterte and Marcos regimes and urged millions of Filipino workers to organize themselves and demand an end to the systematic suppression of unions and the harassment of workers who exercise their right to self-organization and the duty to seek redress of grievances, like slave wages and substandard working conditions. KMU said it is continuing its demand for the P200 across-the-board legislated wage increase while pushing for the enactment of the P1,200 family living wage (FLW) nationwide.
“Ang atake sa freedom of association ay atake sa nakabubuhay na sahod at disenteng paggawa. Gusto nilang tanggalin ang kakayahan nating lumaban. Tapatan natin ito ng sama-samang paglaban para sa ating mga karapatan!” Ustarez stressed. The Marcos Jr. administration has refused to declare the proposed legislated P200 wage increase, labor leaders said, an indication that Malacanang will continue to pamper its cronies, coddle the abusive plutocrats and guarantee the continuation of a high profit regime for foreign corporations. (DIEGO MORRA)
