MANILA — Regular employees of a cement company have joined the search and rescue operation for their co-workers believed to among those buried in the massive landslide that hit Naga, Cebu on Thursday.
The landslide killed over 20 people and destroyed many homes.
According to Alan Tanjusay, spokesperson of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), members of Apo Cement Corporation Employees Union-Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, along with Apo Cement Supervisory Employees Union-APSOTEU-TUCP and Taiheiyo Cement Philippines Corporation Employees Union-Associated Labor Unions are now on ground zero to look for their co-employees.
“Our union members who are regular workers are now helping in the search and rescue operations particularly those short-term and precarious contractual workers with the hope that they are still alive and just trapped in crevices and small spaces waiting for help,” he said in a statement.
Aside from assisting in search and rescue operations, the union workers are also helping in serving survivors in evacuation centers.
“This incident is a big shock not only to the families of the victims but also to workers and all members of the community who survived. Employees of the two companies are on the edge,” Tanjusay added.
Endo or end-of-contract workers are contractual workers employed in the same company doing the same work of regular or unionized workers but have smaller salary, have no security of tenure, inadequate social protection and have no other non-wage benefits that their counterpart regular workers enjoy.
“Endo workers do not have social protection insurance and they have no benefits and their families will get no occupational hazard compensation at all when incidents like this happens. Endo workers are the most vulnerable,” he said.
At the same time, the ALU-TUCP labor federation expressed hope that the plight of the workers and their families is not ignored in the light of the temporary suspension order on all quarry operations in the province.
“We urge the provincial government to include the important aspect of the welfare and well-being of workers and their families in the post-disaster assessment and planning. We hope for labor representation in the decision and policy-making process,” Tanjusay said. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
