Labor Slams Government's Manpower Summit, Calls for Full Employment Policy

"The government miserably failed to deliver its target of generating 1.5 million jobs annually. It is high time that we develop a full employment policy that would address the jobs crisis to address massive unemployment."

This was the statement of Josua Mata, Secretary General of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) during the Workers' Summit on the Jobs Crisis held today as the labor groups begun their preparations for the Labor Day actions on May 1.

The summit was sponsored by the labor coalition Solidarity of Unions and Labor Organizations for a New Government (SULONG) as a response to the National Manpower Summit held by government last March 2, 2006 in Manila Hotel.

The workers defined full employment as a coherent policy aimed at providing decent work for all those who need jobs. They believe that government needs to increase the capacity of the economy to provide decent jobs for the rapidly growing skilled labor force.

Pajo Valdemor of Liga ng Manggagawa criticized the government's Manpower Summit for failing to present a strategy that would address this need. "The summit merely justified government's failure to address unemployment by blaming the workers' lack of skills to meet the requirements of companies," said Valdemor.

Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas earlier said there are thousands of quality jobs left unfilled due to mismatch between the skills required and the skills possessed by applicants, implying that there is no shortage of jobs in the labor market.

However, the records of the National Statistics Office indicate there were 1.3 million jobless workers who have reached college in January 2005, including 668,000 college graduates.

"High unemployment even among the relatively educated workers indicates inability of the economy to generate adequate quality jobs," said Dave Diwa, Secretary General of Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Pilipinas (KPMP).

According to the workers, between 2002 and 2005, an average of 789,000 jobs were generated annually, short of the 908,000 people joining the labor force every year. Higher unemployment undermines the power of workers to bargain for higher wages and demand for security of tenure.

Based on the Bureau of Labor and Employment Services (BLES) Integrated Survey, non-regular workers accounted for 26% of total employment in establishments with 20 or more workers. In 2004, there were some 628,000 non-regular workers out of a total employment of 2.4 million.

Non-regular workers include probationary, casual, contractual or project-based, and seasonal workers as well as paid apprentices or learners.

"These workers have no permanent status within the company and are victims to the rise of 'end-of-contract' buzzwords among employees," explained Leody De Guzman, Chairperson of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP).

Josua Mata said the challenge by the jobs crisis to policymakers has never been greater. "Current policy prescriptions are not producing the desired results. It is time to explore new policies," said Mata.

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SULONG is the broadest labor coalition calling for the ouster of the Arroyo Regime and the establishment of a transitional revolutionary government. It is composed of four labor centers and 13 national unions, federations and other worker's organizations including the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU), Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Pilipinas (KPMP), Makabayan, Liga ng Manggagawa and Association of Genuine Labor Organizations (ANGLO).