Aid to displaced workers belittled

CEBU ­– The Partido ng Manggagawa has criticized the Department of Labor and Employment, calling its Workers’ Income Augmentation Program for the laid off workers inadequate.

In a press statement, PM chairman Renato Magtubo said there must be one-stop shops and substantial subsidies for the displaced workers similar to what is given to pioneer investors.

According to him, it takes three months for a union or group applying for assistance under WINAP before their proposal is approved and it takes some more time until the funds are released.

Magtubo said that for individuals availing of WINAP, the P5,000 assistance is too small and is only enough to be spend for the basic necessities of a family for just a month.

Meanwhile, more than a hundred displaced workers from a furniture firm in Mandaue City will hold a “Lakbayan” or long march to the DOLE regional office in Cebu City tomorrow.

PM spokesperson Dennis Derige said that the marchers will call for a bailout and stimulus package for workers affected by the global recession. The bailout package should include a subsidy for displaced workers, tax refund as an economic stimulus, and a reformed and expanded state employment program for the millions of unemployed Filipinos

The PM-led activity is dubbed as “Lakbayan ng Manggagawa para sa Katarungan, Proteksyon sa Manggagawa Laban sa Krisis” or “Lakbayan sa Mamumuo alang sa Hustisya, Proteksyon sa Mamumuo Batok sa Krisis.”

The Lakbayan, which will be led by the retrenched furniture workers will start at the factory of Giardini del Sole in Mandaue City at 8 a.m. and is expected to arrive at the DOLE office by 10 a.m.

Derige said the workers of Giardini del Sole will all be wearing their company -shirts but will burn some of the shirts in a symbolic expression of discontent.

It maybe recalled that more than 400 workers of Giradini were retrenched recently following the declaration of the company for a temporary shutdown.

Delegations of workers from Prince Warehouse, Cosonsa Manufacturing, General Milling Corp. and Lami Foods, including the displaced workers of Neostone and Presidents Marine and students from UP-Cebu are also expected to participate in the march rally.

“The stirrings of workers discontent will explode into labor unrest unless the government and employers heed the demand for a bailout and stimulus package for workers.The funding for the bailout package should come from a realignment of the budget for debt serving,” Derige added. —Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (THE FREEMAN)