Migrante International is one with all working women of the world in celebrating International Working Women’s Day. Together, we mark this day with collective struggles for land, wages, jobs, and rights. In deeper solidarity, let us continue marching together towards a world free from the oppression and exploitation of women everywhere.
We now find it all the more necessary to stand for our demands as attacks ramp up against the lives, livelihoods, and freedoms of women. In the Philippines, foreign monopoly capital and its minions in Malacañang run the country to the detriment of women across all sectors. The costs of food and basic goods and utilities continue to soar with no end in sight. Food imports and rice cartels are destroying local agriculture for consumers and landless peasant women alike. Unemployment and underemployment runs rampant, especially among women and the youth. Violence against women and children continues to fester in our society. While the Philippine government claims to celebrate this day, it keeps attacking women and their political organizations for speaking out for our rights.
Through its neoliberal programs, the US-Marcos regime is complicit in the worsening situation of Filipino working women. Worse still, the Philippine government is taking advantage of this situation, taking advantage of millions of unemployed women, by selling women abroad as cheap labor.
As victims of forced migration, many migrant women face labor exploitation, human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and a state that deprives them of services and support. Others are also victims of abuse and even violence from their employers abroad. For migrant women, the Labor Export Program is among the most anti-women programs of the Philippine government.
Mary Jane Veloso, now detained in the Philippines following our campaign to save her from death row abroad, is one of many women migrant victims of human trafficking, unjust detention abroad, and state abandonment. Her case against her traffickers continues to face delays, and Marcos Jr. continues to deny her clemency.
In 2010, Mary Jane left the country for the false promise of work in Malaysia. That year, minimum wage in her home region of Central Luzon was Php 316. Fourteen years later, and the minimum in the region is only at Php 525, not even double and less than half for a family living wage in the country. If Mary Jane and many like her had access to stable livelihoods, they would not have fallen victim to human traffickers. This is why we need working women, both at home and abroad, at the forefront of the fight for a Php 1,200 family living wage in the Philippines.
The toiling women of the world must be at the forefront of a strong labor movement to fight for our wages, jobs, and rights. This is why we salute and support the brave workers of Nexperia who are on their fourth day on strike today. Nexperia management, led by the union busting general manager Gareth Hughes, is refusing to grant their demand of a Php 50 daily wage increase. Four of their union officers, including Nexperia union president Mary Ann Castillo, were terminated in the middle of bargaining negotiations. The Department of Labor and Employment, in their collusion with the multinational monopoly, put out orders prohibiting the workers from striking. The Nexperia union has faced harassment and threats from management, police, and military forces, as well as waves of layoffs for years now. They have taken up the strike as their weapon anyway. As Filipino migrants, let us unite with the workers of the world in holding the multinational Nexperia and its colluders in the Philippine government accountable for attempting to break the unity of the union. They must pay for denying our collective demands for living wages and job security.
Through all these attacks, the Filipino people and women of all sectors continue to raise brave struggles not only in Nexperia, but throughout the whole country. As Filipino women migrants, let us continue to unite and fight alongside them for a homeland that is truly free. Let us continue to link arms in solidarity with other women workers all over the world striking and protesting against exploitation, for higher wages, job security, workplace protections, and the right to protest and organize. At home and around the world, we must organize and work together as toiling women to fight the global monopoly capitalist system and its local minions, such as those in Malacañang. We must make it known to the world that women are rising up for our lives, livelihoods, freedom, and justice.
Long live the toiling women of the world!
Fight for wages, jobs, and rights!
Women of the world, unite! Down with imperialism!
