Despite efforts of PALEA and its broad labor group alliances of labor unions and federations both domestic and international, there are still some sectors in our society that keep an eye of skepticism and reproach on what PALEA and its members are fighting for or holding on their ground for Regular Job when they are paid their Separation Pay and assured of a job on the Company-arranged Service Providers! Many are aghast and cannot understand the recalcitrant attitude of PALEA in its stance against Outsourcing or Contractualization. Many even despised our struggle as an exercise in futility because we are opposing a giant among giants in Lucio Tan and his cohorts of corrupt government officials in all branches of Governance.
Maybe a plain example of what PALEA promotes and how our Regular Job can give us a more or less decent way of living for common workers who are assured of it for as long as they are willing and capable of doing their jobs. My salary as a supervisor after 35 years of service is only Php 31,750.00. But way back in 1976 when I joined PAL my monthly basic pay is only Php 319.50 as the lowest rank and file employee. After 1 year I was promoted to the next level in the echelon of ranks on our Table of Organization with the corresponding increase as covered in our CBA including our yearly increase in salary after every CBA negotiations.
With this assurance of a Regular Job, I was able to send my five children and ensured them of their college education and the youngest now is already a Registered Nurse. I was not even able to build our own home because my salary was just enough to meet our daily needs of food, clothing and transportation after house rental and utility bills and other emergency expenses were attended to. My fear of an empty purse was usually overcome by the bright hope that every 15th and 30th of the month, I have a salary to earn from my Regular Job! But with Outsourcing and Contractualization, even if you are still at a young age, you shall always be haunted with fear and insecurity that may be next month you will be out of your job because a younger or a close applicant is coming on to replace you and make you a beggar or slave to your Contract Agency.
With this assurance of a Regular Job, I was able to send my five children and ensured them of their college education and the youngest now is already a Registered Nurse. I was not even able to build our own home because my salary was just enough to meet our daily needs of food, clothing and transportation after house rental and utility bills and other emergency expenses were attended to. My fear of an empty purse was usually overcome by the bright hope that every 15th and 30th of the month, I have a salary to earn from my Regular Job! But with Outsourcing and Contractualization, even if you are still at a young age, you shall always be haunted with fear and insecurity that may be next month you will be out of your job because a younger or a close applicant is coming on to replace you and make you a beggar or slave to your Contract Agency.
This is the whole truth of PALEA's war against Outsourcing or Contractualization and it's a wake-up call to all workers and laborers to unite and regain our dignity of labor as partners of Capitalist in nation building otherwise, they will take advantage of our efforts and sacrifices and will exploit us to the point of modern-day slavery. We have to stand for our rights even if the Government - the institution that is supposed to protect us, had forsaken us by condoning the blatant violations on our civil and constitutional rights to Security of Tenure or Job Security and the rights to form associations or unions in pursuit of our human rights to live a decent life! THE VERY REASON WHY EVIL EXISTS IS THAT RIGHTEOUS MEN DO NOTHING TO PREVENT IT!!!
