Workers demand tariff re-imposition on imported cement

Workers from the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party held a picket inside the Philippine Heart Center compound where the Tariff Commission office is located to support the Philippine Cement Workers Council (PCWC) in their call to re-impose higher tariffs on imported cement during the preliminary hearing of the commission together with the Department of Trade and Industry on the issue.

It can be recalled that on July 17, 2003 , the Department of Trade and Industry imposed a P20.60 tariff per bag on imported cement after local manufacturers and workers’ unions petitioned for a safeguard mechanism to stop the surge of imported cement in the local market. However, the imposition expired last December 10, 2004 and PCWC, APL and Akbayan would want the government to continue with its implementation.

“Applying tariffs on imported cement should continue if we want to save the thousands of workers from being retrenched in the remaining cement plants,” Akbayan representative, Mayong Aguja, said.

Imported cement begun flooding the local market when in June 1998, then president Joseph Estrada issued E.O. 487 that drastically lowered import tariffs on cement products to 3% while neighboring countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam have maintained high tariffs at 10%, 20%, and 40%, respectively. During the period 1998-2000, tariff reduction resulted to the closure of 5 local cement plants and the retrenchment of some 4,000 Filipino workers, which was aggravated by the unrestrained entry of smuggled cement goods from the Taiwan Cement Corp. and other parts of Indonesia .

“Inimical government economic policies are the result of its willful adherence to neo-liberal concepts and trade liberalization programs espoused by capitalists, which led to retrenchment of workers and worsen foreign control of our economy,” Josua Mata, secretary general of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), said.

The groups vowed to continue holding mass actions until the government finally adheres to the demands of the workers to re-impose tariffs on imported cement products.
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Akbayan! Party
Alliance of Progressive Labor