The International Solidarity Committee is proud to announce the continuation of our Solidarity Campaign with the Philippines!
A proposal to support the Vancouver & District Labour Council’s “adopt an organizer in the Philippines” campaign, in support of union organizers and community activists there, was recently brought forward and approved unanimously by the CULE Executive. We have donated $1200 towards this initiative.
For more details about the campaign, see the attached .pdf.
The organizer we have chosen to support, Precy Dagooc, works as a union organizer for the Makabayan (workers for People’s Liberation) union central which includes unions from the communications workers, teachers and industrial and agricultural unions.
As a union organizer, Precy is involved in her union campaigns as well as participating in the broader labour movement in the Philippines. She is primarily responsible for media liaison and women’s issues. Precy writes and distributes media advisories, press releases and press statements and generally coordinates campaigns with the local media.
The committee felt Precy was particularly well suited for our support – she does much of the same work as we do, but under vastly more challenging conditions.
Here is an email we received from her today and we’ll continue to keep CULE members updated …
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To the Canadian Union of Labor Employees,
I would like to extend my deepest words of thanks for choosing to adopt me, I feel very happy and privileged. Please know that the money you will be spending will help me work more efficiently for MAKABAYAN’s campaign and activities.
MAKABAYAN (Workers for People’s Liberation) is a labour centre in the Philippines with various affiliated unions. At the last MAKABAYAN National Council meeting (April 3-4) I was formally commissioned as in-charge of the MAKABAYAN Women’s committee. I was tasked to ensure that women committees are organized at every MAKABAYAN Area Formation/ Chapter and coordinate the formation of women’s committee up to the union level. I am also in charge of coordinating campaigns and communication of not only the women’s committee but MAKABAYAN as well as a member of MAKABAYAN National secretariat.
Currently, we are preparing for our May 1 activity. We are conducting an All Leaders Meeting from National down to area formations. Our Labor Day activity aims to unite all union members and workers to our analysis on the Global Financial Crisis that is now affecting thousands of workers especially in economic zones such as garments and electronics factories and car in the industry which are mostly an outsourced part of transnational/multinational companies.
Our General call is: Proteksyon at Pakikibaka para sa GANAP na PAGBABAGONG PANLIPUNAN SAGOT sa SALOT na GLOBALISASYON! (Protect and struggle for a new society against globalization!)
Particular issues and demands that we will develop to a tactical fight:
1.) Secured jobs not contractualization 2.) Unemployment insurance 3.) Socialized housing 4.) Universal access to free Education 5.) Universal access to free health care
For the funds that will be used we call for debt repudiation/moratorium and/or realignment of the National Budget for social services primary for the aforementioned subsidies. For the long term we call for the reversal of Neo-liberal policies in lieu of developing an independent national economy through development of genuine agrarian and nationalization of vital industries.
These are the calls we plan to drumbeat for the upcoming Labor Day.
I will be reporting updates to CULE at least quarterly. Again thank you and I hope to hear from all of you soon.
Workers of the world unite! We have nothing to lose but our chains! We have the world to win!
In Solidarity, Precy