Interim Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA)
Complaint against the Government of the Philippines presented by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center
Allegations: The complainant alleges killings, grave threats, continuous harassment and intimidation and other forms of violence inflicted on leaders, members, organizers, union supporters/labour advocates of trade unions and informal workers’ organizations who actively pursue their legitimate demands at the local and national levels.

In October 31, 2006, the International Labour Office (ILO) received the communication from Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center regarding the complaints.

“The acts complained of include killings, grave threats, continuous harassment and intimidation and other forms of violence inflicted on leaders, members, organizers, union supporters/labour advocates of trade unions and informal workers’ organizations who are actively pursuing their legitimate demands at local and national levels. The data gathered indicate that these violations are widespread and systematically committed directly and indirectly by government agencies, instrumentalities and officers in the current civilian Government and/or in the military, including their agents which, to a large extent, effectively crushed a number of existing labour and informal workers’ organizations, and if not stopped will dramatically weaken the country’s trade union movement.

These acts are being committed by the Government of the Philippines, in pursuance of its neo-liberal policies of deregulation, liberalization and privatization which gravel affect the working people in order to attract foreign investment.

Specific complaints are as follows:
1) summary killings of 64 trade union leaders, members, organizers and union supporters and informal workers at the height of the Government’s scheme to prevent workers and informal workers from exercising their freedom of association and their right to organize and bargain collectively;

2) abduction and enforced disappearances of trade union leaders, members, organizers and union supporters and informal workers committed by elements of the military and police, not only to intimidate and/or terrorize workers and informal workers from continuing their economic and political activities, but to ultimately paralyse and render the union or organization useless;

3) harassment, intimidation, witch-hunting and grave threats committed by the military and police forces against trade union leaders, members, organizers and union supporters and informal workers;
4) militarization of workplaces in strike-bound companies or where a labour dispute exists between management and workers and where existing unions or unions being organized are considered progressive or militant, by means of establishing military detachments and/or deployment of police and military elements under the pretext of counter-insurgency operations; and

5) arrest and detention of and subsequent filing of criminal charges against trade union leaders, members, organizers and union supporters and informal workers due to their involvement and active participation in legitimate economic and political activities of trade unions and informal workers’ associations. These acts directly contravene Articles 3, 5 and 11 of Convention No. 87 and Article 1 of Convention No. 98, as well as the Constitution of the Philippines.”#
(NEXT WEEK: Second of a series: The ILO-CFA recommendations) nordis.net