Contractualization adds peril to health and safety – women workers
Contractual women workers are not receiving maternity benefits. That is on top of the lower wages, heavy workloads, no job security and no union rights that go with being contractuals. – KMU
By MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Contractualization as an employment scheme is a “menace to workers,” said the women workers of the labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) last week. With members coming from Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila, they held a picket protest against contractualization at the Welcome Rotonda after an afternoon of discussing the plight and rights of workers.
Carrying enlarged copies of contractual employment contracts, women unionists tore these ‘contracts’ during their protest.
“Women workers who comprise the majority of contractual workers in the country are speaking out against contractualization. We also express our full support to the workers of Philippine Air Lines (PAL) who are struggling against mass layoff and contractualization,” said Nenita “Nitz” Gonzaga, KMU vice-chairperson for women affairs.
“Contractualization has long been a menace to women workers and to Filipino workers in general. We are intensifying our campaign for its eradication, which is now long overdue,” she added.
Double discrimination vs women workers??
KMU also criticized the exclusion of contractual women workers from the coverage of maternity benefits such as maternity leave and maternity pay. “That shows you how evil this anti-worker scheme is: contractual women workers are not receiving maternity benefits. That is on top of the lower wages, heavy workloads, no job security and no union rights that go with being contractuals,” Gonzaga said.
Women workers tore sample work contracts that “further discriminate” against women. (Photo courtesy of KMU women / bulatlat.com)
“Capitalists want their women contractuals young and without children so the latter can be exploited more in the workplace. The common practice of removing women contractuals who get pregnant is most deplorable,” added Gonzaga.
Lawyer Remigio Saladero explained that there are quite a number of pro-women legislations in the country, the main example being the Magna Carta on Women. But he said that whether these are being implemented or not is the main question. He said the provision ordering Congress to amend or replace laws that discriminate against women has still not been acted upon as of this day.
Even the early compulsory retirement of female cabin attendants in the Philippine flag carrier has not been settled up to now. Meanwhile, the workers are suffering the consequences of such discrimination..... MORE
Source: Bulatlat.com
URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/10/20/contractualization-adds-peril-to-health-and-safety-%e2%80%93-women-workers/
1 comment
dmnyong kapitalismo ito, oo.
"“Capitalists want their women contractuals young and without children so the latter can be exploited more in the workplace. The common practice of removing women contractuals who get pregnant is most deplorable,” added Gonzaga."
hindi ko alam ito, ah
"Night work is carcinogenic and it puts workers especially women at risk, based on various studies, said Colina. One of these is the 2001 Rotating Night Shifts and Risk of Breast Cancer in Women Participating in the Nurses’ Health Study in the United States, where researchers documented elevated risk of breast cancer for nurses."
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