Maria Elena Catajan of the ZigZag Weekly reports that after two decades of industrial peace at the University of the Cordilleras (formerly the Baguio Colleges Foundation), employees are again restive, with the UC union Kapatiran all set to stage the first labor strike in the educational sector since the Union of Faculty and Employees of Saint Louis University (UFESLU) strikes in 1988 and 1989. Kinda makes the Louisian unyunista nostalgic for the times when Luisito(a) was a social being and mindful of his/her rights as an educational sector worker, right? Those were times when a grievance was felt by union officers and all members alike, when the "sakit ng kalingkingan ay sa buong katawan nararamdaman," and the UFESLU leadership stood kapitbisig with the rank and file instead of signing sweetheart deals with the administration (waiving away a whole year of CBA benefits we may add with justifications of typographical errors).
And it is not that job satisfaction has reached penultimate highs in SLU these days. The only reason for industrial peace hereabouts is that employees appear to have no leaders willing to stake out their necks for them should they want to - as they say, "get loud!" Strikeable issues about, not least of all the still unresolved issues on the "lost" first CBA year (2006-2007), the summer loading, contractualization of the faculty... hey wait! Why are the members of the UC union going on strike? Here's Catajan's account: Unfair labor practices (are) the reasons for the planned strike, namely: interference, restraint and coercion in the employees' right to self-organization, discrimination in assigning teaching loads, selective appointment of contractual employees, differences in salary scales, and violation of the duty to bargain. Sounds family!
A strong union depends on the level of awareness by its members of the various natural, constitutional, and statutory rights to which they are entitled and to their capability to fight for them over the negotiating table and at the picket line if need be. Towards this end, the unflagging dedication of the union leadership to the ideals of the union - the betterment of working and living conditions of the working class - is of vital importance. We need leaders who will educate us on what our rights are, who will speak for us with our own voices and not with the tongue of management, and who will strengthen us with their own zeal rather than frighten us with their lack of courage. Shall we see them this year or do we also fall without seeing the dawn?
Matanglawin
