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KMU asks DOLE chief's resignation, full probe on Hanjin deaths


MANILA, Philippines - Militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) demanded the resignation of labor secretary Marianito Roque for "gross negligence" in the deaths at the shipyard of Korean firm Hanjin Heavy Industries. KMU spokesman Prestoline Suyat said Roque and his subordinates failed to protect the safety of Filipino workers, particularly in Hanjin. "We have continuously stated in the past that the laws and regulations of our country, including the Philippine Constitution, are not respected and followed inside export processing zones and business enclaves wherein core labor standards are violated with impunity. Inside these working place, foreign capitalists particularly Koreans, Taiwanese, Americans and Japanese and their companies are operating, a no-union and no strike policy is followed strictly and minimum wage for workers is not followed. Sadly, our labor officials know these and still they can sleep comfortably at night while millions of workers are suffering and exploited in our own country," Suyat said in an article on the KMU website. He said legislators must not only review the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Charter that covers Hanjin, but also conduct a full-blown investigation on why the Philippine Constitution does not apply inside the export processing zones and business enclaves. Justice must be served to the victims and their families, he stressed. "We are asking our good congressmen and senators to hold a full-blown investigations in in the export processing zones and business enclaves all over the country. We are also demanding that not only Hanjin officials but also labor officials must also be held criminally-liable for the deaths and injuries in Hanjin Inc. Justice must be accorded to us workers," he said. Suyat noted DOLE Bureau of Working Condition's Brenda Villafuerte admitted at a Senate hearing Tuesday that DOLE officials were allowed to enter the Hanjin facility after a series of accidents. Successive accidents inside the facility had resulted in at least 19 deaths of workers, not including those who figured in a bus accident in Subic Tuesday. Also, Suyat said DOLE had also disclosed in the investigation that more than 4,000 accidents were recorded and reported since 2006 in Hanjin facility. The Senate investigation also revealed that the 349-hectare facility has no resident doctor but only three nurses which attend to tens of thousands workers. "By admission of Brenda Villafuerte, the DOLE had admitted that they were helpless in asserting the sovereignty of the Philippines to protect our workers in working places where multinational corporations or foreign businessmen operate. We are correct in our consistent assertion in the past that our government officials, and sadly, labor officials, are beholden to foreign powers. They cannot even assert to inspect working places where Filipino laborers are exploited and exposed to dangerous working conditions and occupational hazards," Suyat said. Suyat also said the case in Hanjin also reflect the unsafe and anti-workers condition of all export processing zones and business enclaves in all parts of the country. - GMANews.TV
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