Since Bienvenido Laguesma became Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, he has not once taken the stand of Filipino workers. Whenever our calls for a family living wage, decent jobs, and workers’ rights are advanced, Laguesma always takes the position of big local and foreign capitalists to block our victory. He is truly an alter-ego of his President – a capitalist and imperialist lapdog through and through.
When the call for increased wages was advancing in Congress, what did Laguesma say? He said that the prices of goods will increase and that the interests of employers and workers must be “balanced”. He sowed discord among workers, threatening them with wage distortion, and mass layoffs. He would rather let workers starve on meager wages than them getting a larger share of the wealth they create for capitalists.
When hundreds of thousands of workers were laid off, what did Laguesma say? He said that the employment situation in our country is “improving” and that he is confident in the jobs that will be created by the FDIs that the Marcos government is pushing. He would let workers be thrust into precarious, irregular and poor quality jobs so foreign capitalists can continue to exploit Filipino workers for large profits.
When workers were not invited to the Inter-Agency Committee for the Protection of the Freedom of Association and Right to Organize of Workers, what did Laguesma say? He said that complainants cannot judge their own cases. Meanwhile, the police, military, and the NTF-ELCAC who are being complained against for leading attacks on workers’ rights are members of said Committee.
Laguesma represents the US-Marcos regime’s labor policy – a policy which thrusts workers into low wages, irregular and precarious work, and attacks on their basic rights so big capitalists can amass superprofits. Laguesma, Marcos, and the US must be held accountable for their countless sins against Filipino workers. And one way to do so is demanding that Laguesma resign from his post.
We enjoin our fellow workers in calling:
LAGUESMA, RESIGN!
HOLD THE US-MARCOS REGIME FOR ITS ATTACKS ON WORKERS RIGHTS!