Trade unions representing two
million workers across the Asia-Pacific region, meeting in Manila,
Philippines, have called on
the Government of the Philippines
to end impunity for the killings of media workers and to defend the rights of
workers in the Philippines
to organise as unions.
More than 600 participants attending
the third UNI APRO Regional Conference, which was opened by President Benigno
Aquino III on July 5, unanimously adopted a resolution which expressed deep
concerns at the slow pace of the trials of suspects accused of the Ampatuan
Town massacre, and urged the Government to take immediate action to see justice
is done.
Of 58 people massacred in
Maguindanao on November 23, 2009, 32 were journalists and media workers. Several
were union members.
Ninety-five trade unions representing
workers in the media, commerce, finance, telecom, postal and graphical and
packaging sectors across 19 Asia-Pacific countries commended the courageous
advocacy of colleagues and organisations in the Philippines – including IFJ
affiliate the National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and UNI-MEI affiliate the National Association of Broadcast Unions (NABU) – in
their struggle for justice for the families and colleagues of those killed at
Ampatuan Town.
The resolution, which was proposed
by the Australian Media Alliance, an affiliate of the IFJ and UNI-MEI, also
draws attention to extrajudicial killings of other trade unionists, union
organisers, agricultural workers, fisher folk and farmers in the Philippines.
“A culture of impunity for these
crimes has prevailed in the Philippines for too long, obstructing the
realisation of fundamental human rights for all, including the rights of all
workers in the Philippines to conduct their work and to do so safely and
without fear of violent retribution,” the resolution states.
The resolution further notes that precarious
working conditions, especially in provincial areas, are a significant factor contributing
to risk of injury and targeted violence for journalists and other media
workers.
“In the media sector and elsewhere,
employers are actively seeking to marginalise legitimate union membership and
the rights associated with union membership, including the right to associate
freely and to bargain as a collective,” the resolution adds.
The resolution follows from the
first joint meeting of IFJ Asia-Pacific
with UNI APRO, UNI Global Union, UNI-MEI (Media, Entertainment and Arts) and
UNI Graphical & Packaging, in Bali, Indonesia, in September 2010, where IFJ and UNI affiliates
urged trade unions around the world to join the quest for justice for the Ampatuan Town victims. The Bali
resolution demanded that media employers in the Philippines end violations of
workers’ rights including efforts to prevent media workers from organising and
joining unions.
The Manila resolution endorsed the Bali
meeting’s demand that media employers in the Philippines must abide by International Labor Organisation (ILO) conventions
and the Philippines Labor Code, under which Article 280 entitles workers to
regularised work contracts granting them job security.
For
further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific
on +61 2 9333 0919
The
IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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