In addition to commemorating the
anniversary of PALEA’s protest against outsourcing last year, the protests also
pushed for the passage of the security of tenure bill pending at Congress.
“Aside from the reproductive health and freedom of information bills, the
security of tenure measure is also jammed at the legislative mill. This social
reform proposal seeks to restrict the epidemic of contractual work and the
proliferation of 6 months endo jobs,” explained Rene Magtubo, PM national
chair.

A picket the House of Representatives
is planned for October 8 to call for the plenary discussion of the security of
tenure bill. The House Labor Committee has reported out a consolidated version
of the bill but the Committee on Rules has not scheduled it for sponsorship and
interpellation at the plenary level.

The “Global Day of Action” was spearheaded by PALEA, the Turkish civil
aviation union Hava-Is, Qantas unions, the Lufthansa flight attendants union
UFO, Canadian airline workers union CAW-TCA, Air India unions, UNITE-HERE in
the USA and the Australia Asia Worker Links. Rallies, leafleteering,
mass meetings and other protest actions at airports were held in Melbourne and
Sydney in Australia, Istanbul in Turkey, Frankfurt in Germany, Vancouver,
Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Saint John in Canada, Mumbai in India and
Honolulu in Hawaii. Solidarity messages have also been extended by labor
centers and unions in Hong Kong, Seoul, Hanoi and San Francisco. The day of action was several months in the
making with the International Transport Workers Federation starting the ball
rolling by endorsing it in a meeting of the Asia-Pacific civil aviation section
meeting in Kuala Lumpur last July.

Similar to PALEA, the groups
participating in the day of action are embroiled in labor rows over job
security and working conditions. Hava-Is is demanding the reinstatement of 305
members dismissed over protests against a controversial government ban on
strikes in the aviation industry. Qantas management grounded its entire fleet
last year in response to rolling strikes by its pilots and ground crew.

UFO recently won substantial
concessions including limits to outsourcing after a strike that disrupted
Lufthansa’s flights. CAW-TCA and other Air Canada unions were involved in
disputes over pay and outsourcing, just like Air India workers. The hotel
workers union UNITE-HERE is campaigning for a boycott of the global hotel chain
Hyatt over a host of issues including use of contract labor.

 Visit the Global Day of Action's facebook page for updates.