PLDT Workers Struggle
The PLDT1 workers suffered another attack from their capitalist bosses this month: the retrenchment of 575 employees beginning September 16. This is the second of massive retrenchment; the first was in 2002 where more than 500 employees lost their jobs.
Union reacts as saboteur
After the affected employees receive their termination notice last August 16, the Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas (MKP)2 immediately file a notice of strike to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) with the full knowledge beforehand that the latter will instantly impose its power of assuming jurisdiction of the conflict thus preventing any strike from the workers. And that’s what happened: Last September 6, DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion issued an order thwarting any strike and asking the PLDT management to refrain from terminating the workers. The result: the 575 employees were barred from entering the PLDT offices last September 17 (Monday).
The union accused the PLDT management of violating the order of the DOLE Secretary and its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), implying that the former “followed the law of the capitalist state wholeheartedly” while the PLDT bosses violated it. MKP threatened to pursue their plan strike because of “union busting” since all the retrenched workers are union members and the management violation of the DOLE order and the CBA.
It seems that MKP is ‘combative’ and ‘radical’, defending the employees’ job security. But in analyzing its actions one can discern its real nature: derailing workers consciousness and solidarity by isolating the PLDT workers struggle from their class brothers/sister in other companies.
The union mobilized the workers through pickets and march-rallies. But instead of asking the active support from its class brothers/sisters in other companies, it asked the support of some personalities and even “blessing” from a prominent Catholic Bishop in Cebu. The union drags the workers in the ideological and organizational conflicts within the different unions in the Philippines by not going to the workers which are ‘controlled’ by its rival unions. Thus, further isolating the PLDT workers struggle.
Worst of all, MKP pushes the more militant workers of PLDT in a form of struggle that has nothing to do with raising class solidarity and class consciousness: hunger strike in front of the PLDT main office in Makati City.
The MKP threat to strike is only a leverage to “pressure” the PLDT management to negotiating table. That’s why it is not doing anything to ask support from the other workers to generalize the struggle against retrenchment and redundancies.
Certainly, with the union’s sabotage, what happened in 2002 is again happening today. And the capitalist bosses as well as the capitalist state with smiles in their faces could continue its attack against the working class not only in PLDT but in other companies also.
Class solidarity and generalizing the struggle: the only hope for workers’ victory
Face with the massive attacks of the capitalists and the unions became a company police, the only way to effectively resist these attacks is for the workers to control for themselves their struggles. This means that the workers in PLDT must reject the unionist methods.
Class solidarity can only be achieved through workers’ assembly in PLDT with the active participation of the workers in other companies. This assembly should decide the forms and content of its struggle. Most of all, this assembly must be sovereign, not controlled in any way by the union.
There is only one way to prevent the attacks of the capitalist bosses and the state: generalizing the struggle against retrenchment and redundancies in as many companies as possible, mobilizing workers from different companies as many as possible under the direction of a committee answerable to the workers assembly.
Isolating the struggle of PLDT workers will surely fail. It would only result to exhaustion, demoralization and ultimately forces the employees to accept the “juicy” offer from the management of more than Php1, 000,000 to each affected employees.
Internasyonalismo, September 2007
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1 PLDT – Philippine Long Distance Telephone. It is the biggest telecommunication company in the Philippines. Its latest earning in the first half of 2007 is Php17 billion.
2 MKP – Communication Workers of the Philippines, the ‘official’ union of PLDT workers. It is an affiliate of the leftist (maoist) Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (Movement for National Democracy), a split from the mainstream maoist Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement).
Good luck in struggle.
Comment by Renegade Eye — September 19, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
Renegade Eye,
Thank you very much for your comment. More power
Comment by internasyonalista — October 18, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
hello,
correction pls. di kami maoist.
Comment by red — July 19, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
Mali mali naman kayo mga gago. puro kasi kayo panlalait mga hayop kayo. inatake na ang oportunistang pambansa demokratang kpd na hindi naman maoista. Puro kayo reklamo wala naman kayong nagagawa kundi umupo at magmarunong na para bang kayo ang dapat santohin dito wala naman kayong matinong linya! Pulis kasi kayo!
Comment by Pulang Tala — July 19, 2008 @ 10:22 pm
Mas-alam pa ni red kung sino siya. For your information Ms/Mr tuta ng ICC. Ayusin mo muna sarili mo bago ka mangialam ng iba, ha? Kung ayaw mo sa sosyalismo, wag mo na gamitin ang ngalan ng marksismo dahil sa totoo lang nasusuka ako sa mga taong tulad mo.
Comment by Pulang Tala — July 19, 2008 @ 10:57 pm
red,
maari mo bang ipaliwanag ng buod kung bakit di kayo maoista? nakahanda kaming punain ang aming sarili sa harapan ng publiko matapos kayon magpaliwanag.
sa aming pananaliksik split kayo sa CPP-NPA na pangunahing nakabase sa Central Luzon dahil sa tunggalian sa sumadang ginawa ng RC ng Central Luzon noong huling bahagi ng 1990s at nagtayo kayo ng MLPP batay pa rin sa teorya ng maoismo. kung hindi man kami updated sa ebolusyon ng inyong partido ay nasa amin ang pagkakamali.
ngayon, kung hindi mo maipaliwanag dito sa blog namin dahil sa isyung pangseguridad ay rerespituhin namin ang iyong pasya.
i-update na lang namin ang aming pananaliksik. ang huling nakuha namin na impormasyon kasi ay nagsimula na kayong magrebyu kung tama o mali ba ang teorya ng maoismo. pero kukumpirmahin pa namin ito.
maraming salamat…
Comment by internasyonalista — July 20, 2008 @ 11:14 am
Bakit ba pilit ninyong i-tag ang mga oportunistang rj na “maoista”. Hindi ba mga tulad niyo silang factionalists at maka-militar? Ang mga “M”"L”PP, sila na nga mismo ang tumawag ng ibang pangalan sa kanilang “idyolohiya” other than “maoismo”. Putang ina ninyo kayong nagmamarunong na maka imperyalista akala ninyo napakadunong ninyo e pati mga tumatakwil sa maoismo ay tatawagin ninyong “maoista”. Hanep ang mga baboy!
Comment by Pulang Tala — July 20, 2008 @ 4:35 pm