The youth are no longer the workers of the future; the youth are already the workers of today. Thus, the issues of the workers are the issues of the youth in general.”
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel
On the youth’s role in the fight for workers’ rights
In a privilege speech supporting the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) High-Level Tripartite Mission, Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel highlighted the long-standing issues of underemployment and contractualization for workers in the Philippines, saying that it was particularly difficult for young workers in the informal sector.
Manuel pointed out that around 4 in every 10 Filipino workers are between 15 and 34 years old, meaning that the country’s labor force is relatively young, not even counting the millions of young people working in the informal sector.
He explained that, since most young workers are inexperienced and have low educational qualifications, they are more likely to be desperate and are thus easier for employers to exploit.
“A large proportion of these workers, who are young, will be forced into contractual, low-paying jobs, or for the more unfortunate, into the informal sector,” he asserted.
The ILO’s High-Level Tripartite Mission, aims to investigate and address the long-endured issues of subpar labor standards and union busting faced by these workers.
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The partylist urged Congress to uphold their promises in securing the welfare of Filipino workers, stating that “the perfect opportunity to step up our efforts is to honor past and future commitments to the ILO High Level Tripartite Missions.”
Workers must unionize to assert their rights
“To assert just demands, workers need unions,” Manuel said, lamenting data from the Ecumenical Institue for Labor Education and Research that found only 1 out of every 100 workers in the private sector is unionized.
These unions are crucial in ensuring sufficient wages and benefits, also serving as a way for the average worker to come together and stand against labor rights violations.
One of the ILO-HLTM’s main goals in the country is to investigate attacks on the Freedom of Association or the right to unionize.
On the other hand, workers are also calling for an end to contractualization, or short term employment which contributes to unfair labor practices and the deprivation of benefits from many young and easily-exploitable workers.
A multi-sectoral struggle
Apart from the Kabataan Partylist, different organizations have also issued statements endorsing the ILO’s mission such as the Gabriela Women’s Partylist, and the Alliance for Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines.
Gabriela Women’s Partylist Representative Arlene Brosas zeroed in on the added difficulties for female workers, many of whom are in low-quality jobs with low unionization rates, particularly in the retail sector.
“They are deprived of a platform to assert higher wages, security of tenure and social protection amid institutional failures to ensure decent work,” Brosas said.
ACT Philippines, who have had many of their organization officials be subject to state intimidation tactics, attacks, and threats issued their own statement, urging the investigation of these state attacks on the organization, and promising to uphold their commitment in the fight for worker rights and humane labor conditions.
Unfair labor practices and working conditions have been a longstanding, prevalent issue amongst education workers in the Philippines, such as the overworking and exploitation of teachers across the country that have sparked many different protests and movements.
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As the International Labor Organization proceeds with their continued mission to investigate the ongoing labor crisis in the Philippines, progressive groups are hopeful that it will lead to meaningful change, especially for particularly vulnerable sectors like the youth.
