MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has blamed workers going on strike to protest unfair labor practices for the lack of foreign investors in the country.
“Sabi ko sa investors dito kayo magnegosyo para magkaroon ng trabaho. ‘Yung mga magagawang trabaho, para iyon sa export. Sila ang may-ari [ng negosyo] pero may cut tayo diyan. Wala tayong masyado ngayon kasi nandiyan ang KMU, sige ang strike, strike strike. ‘Pag nagsara [ang kompanya], sino’ng magutom? Pilipino rin,” Duterte said in an interview over state-run PTV 4 on Tuesday, referring to labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno.
“Nagpapadala kayo sa mga komunista. Kasi alam niyo walang pera. Paano [silang mga investors] papasok [rito] kung after three months, [mag] strike kayo, magsara sila dahil nalugi kapital nila. Kasi sa China walang strike. Walang lahat. Trabaho lang,” Duterte added.
The KMU slammed the President for his statements by emphasizing that resorting to strike is a right of workers and such strikes are a result of the President unfulfilled promise of ending contractualization.
“We condemn Duterte’s tirades against Kilusang Mayo Uno. The right to strike is a universal workers’ right guaranteed by international and domestic laws,” KMU said in a statement.
“The upsurge of workers’ strikes these past months are results of Duterte’s failure to end contractualization, refusal to address the rising prices of commodities by implementing a significant wage hike and of the government’s fascist attacks against trade union and human rights,” KMU added.
One of the campaign promises of Duterte is ending contractualization or the practice of terminating employment contracts every five to six months on a whim of the employers.
The Security of Tenure bill which bans such practice, however, is yet to be certified urgent by the President which would speed up its approval in Congress. Instead, he blamed the workers for supposedly jeopardizing their jobs.
“Marami diyan, ‘yang Left, sinasakyan ng mga komunista.Pagdating ng araw, sinabi ko sa inyo… ano gusto niyo? ‘Di ako Diyos. Naniniwala kayo sa komunista eh gusto nila mag-take over sa gobyerno,” Duterte said. (GMA News)
