Church PeopleWorkers Solidarity

celebrates the

30 anniversary of Blessed John Paul IIs Laborem Exercens

in a National Conference of Church People and Workers

th

Church People and Workers in Solidarity, Reclaiming the Dignity of

Human Work!
September 12-15, 2011, CebuCity

A COVENANT STATEMENT
Do not rob or take advantage of anyone. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night (Leviticus 19:13).

We, church people and workers, have gathered in a National Conference to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Laborem Exercens, Blessed John Paul IIs encyclical on the dignity of human labor in Cebu City, the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines, on September 12-15, 2011. Invoking the Spirit of the Lord for enlightenment to engage ourselves in crucial dialogue we have recognized and felt the need to address 4 priority concerns of Filipino workers contractualization, unjust wages, and the violation of the workers right to organize, and the forced migration of Filipino workers. Contractualization Ignoring its inherent immorality, the legalization of contractualization allows capital to violate the workers basic right to security. Regular employees are now terminated summarily and then coerced to re-apply as contractual laborers together with new applicants, in total disregard of their many years of service. Contractualization deprives workers of the benefits of tenure and

prevents them from organizing themselves into legitimate labor unions. This maneuver of unrestricted capitalism is tantamount to a modern version of slavery, with contracting agencies simply replacing the slave traders of old. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church tells us that Work is a good belonging to all people and must be made available to all who are capable of engaging in it. Full employment therefore remains a mandatory objective for every economic system oriented towards justice and the common good. (CSDC, 288) Unjust wages It is common practice for workers to sign vouchers certifying that they are paid the minimum legal wage when, in fact, they have received less, under threat of termination. In a palm plantation in Agusan, a laborer is paid PhP90 for harvesting 30 kilos of palm fruits, easily sold for PhP 7,900. Would it be redundant to conclude that death wages translate into dehumanizing poverty? Blessed John XXIIIs encyclical Mater et Magistra reminds us to consider it our duty to reaffirm that the remuneration of work is not something that can be left to the laws of the marketplace; nor should it be a decision left to the will of the more powerful. It must be determined in accordance with justice and equity; which means that workers must be paid a wage which allows them to live a truly human life. (MM, 71) The right to organize The incumbent government continues to implement the same anti-labor policies as the previous administrations. The unwritten incentive for foreign investors: Come to the Philippines where labor is cheap, docile, not unionized. The Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZA) might as well be the example. It continues to boast of no unions since its operations started in 1979. In practice they simply terminate workers suspected of organizing themselves. Blessed John Paul IIs encyclical Laborem Exercens is emphatic in asserting that Labor unions grew up from the struggle of the workers workers in general, but especially industrial workers to protect their just rights vis--vis the entrepreneurs and the

owners of the means of production Such organizations are an indispensable element of social life. (LE, 20) Migrant Filipino workers

Both past and present administrations have called OFWs as the countrys modern heroes, as indeed they are. However, these praises ring empty considering the governments unwillingness to stanch the staggering outflow of 4,500 Filipinos leaving daily in search of employment abroad, and the deathly inflow of six to ten bodies of OFWs repatriated every day. (cf. Migrante International) Focused on increasing the remittances to prop up a failing economy, the government has put in place exploitative labor policies to avoid facing up to the basic need of generating employment for its citizens. The social cost of forced migration to Philippine society is equally staggering. As the repression of Filipino laborers, both here and abroad, they are ever more left to fend for themselves. The number of organized labor organizations continues to decline. Only 1.7 M of the 19.5 M wage and salaried workers (3 out of every 23) are organized. Only 230,802 out of a total of 1.34 million labor union members are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. They are forced to sustain an economic system that oppresses them. (cf CTUHR 2010 Yearend Report) It is imperative for Church people to help in the empowerment of workers for them to be able to organize themselves.

Resolutions

The Spirit of the Lord who brings good news to the poor and the consequential social teachings of our Churches impel us, workers and Church people gathered in solidarity, to address and attend to the cries of our brothers and sisters in the work force. We resolve, therefore, that the participants of the 1st CWS National Conference: 1. Approve the Conference Covenant Statement including the resolutions herein; 2. Constitute the Church People and Workers Solidarity as a permanent organization to serve as an instrument to assist workers in their struggle for dignity and rightful recognition as partners in the pursuit of peace and progress in the country;

3. Task the convenors of the 1st National Conference of Workers and Church People, headed by Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro, to serve as the transitional leadership body charged with defining and establishing the needed organizational structures for the new group. 4. Mandate the transitional leadership group to formulate and develop program and services that the CWS could undertake in behalf of workers (cfr. Paper outlining proposed programs & services). 5. Declare its appreciation to the Archdiocese of Cebu, particularly for its graciousness in hosting the 1st National Conference of Church People and Workers 6. Likewise, for the support and help of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the National Clergy Discernment Group, the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group, Teatro Ekumenikal, the various dioceses, religious communities, workers organization institutions and NGOs that have contributed to the success of the 1st National Conference of Church People and Workers. May Jesus, the Sublime Carpenter, move all people of good will to listen to the cry of the workers, and witness to the imperatives of our Christian faith. Approved in the City of Cebu, and read solemnly in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on 15 September 2011, during the Pontifical Mass officiated by the incoming Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines President, Archbishop of Cebu Most Rev. Jose S. Palma, D.D. a fitting memorial of the 30th anniversary of Blessed John Paul IIs encyclical Laborem Exercens.

Signed: Two hundred fifty delegates of church people and workers coming from different parts of the country