Filipino women have not gained equal labor rights, nor do they enjoy economic empowerment, says the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), countering government’s claim of improved working conditions and job opportunities for Pinays.
“The so-called economic opportunity given by the government consists of temporary and low-skilled jobs for women. They receive a per-day below minimum wage. So on the contrary, such condition spells insecurity therefore disempowering to women,” says CWR executive director, Jojo Guan.
According to CWR, contractualization hurts women workers most.
Records from the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) show that the number of seasonal or temporary workers, and daily or weekly workers, has increased faster than the number of hired permanent workers.
Since 2010, an increase of only 4.43% was recorded among those employed in permanent jobs. Seasonal or temporary workers, on the other hand, increased by 16.35%, while daily or weekly based employees increased by 72.87%.
Clearly, CWR pointed out, the jobs generated offer no security.
“Notorious implementors of contractual work belong to large companies with businesses in wholesale and retail, manufacturing, and services,” a press release from CWR states. The research organization also said that 75% to 85% of the workers in these companies are women.
Companies in the business process outsourcing (BPO) or call center industry likewise employ many contractual workers. BPO continues to be a fast-rising industry with many foreign companies investing in the country’s cheap English-speaking workforce. More than half (54.9%) or 116,866 of the total BPO workforce (212,990) are women.
In addition, CWR revealed that out of 1.74 million women employed in establishments with 20 or more workers, only 117,965 or 6.8% are union members.
Aside from job insecurity, women also have to contend with low wages. Read more on the next page.
Wages remain low, with some provinces implementing an average of Php 300 in minimum wage. In Mindanao, for instance, the daily minimum wage is Php222 to Php250.
According to CWR, women in the agricultural sector have even lower incomes, earning a daily average wage of Php152 compared to the men’s Php175.
Read: Kidapawan farmers met with violence: “Our children are hungry”
“As the contractualization scheme goes well with the companies’ policies, the number of regular women workers decreases, thereby resulting to lesser members in the labour unions. Such a small number of union members are advantageous to companies because there would be fewer voices during collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and much fewer voices of women members who would assert their rights for benefits and just wages,” explains Guan.
Guan stressed that real empowerment for women can only be felt with regular jobs and decent wages.
“Empowering women means providing them economic opportunities: by creating regular, reliable, and respectable jobs, as well as by giving decent living wages,” said the CWR.
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