Towards a New Philippine Labor Movement By Dr. RUDOLF TRAUB-MERZ Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES) Philippine Office May 1, 2002 About Us Core Themes Activities Publications Online Materials The Philippine trade union movement is celebrating an important milestone this year. 2002 is the centennial anniversary of one of the one colorful, dramatic and sometimes controversial player in the history of this country. It is indeed an impressive achievement. It indicates the continuity of four to five generations of workers and their belief that organizational strength is needed to overcome structural weaknesses imbedded into the individual member of the wage earning class. FES Dialogue on Globalization FES International Policy Analysis Unit FES Journal ­International Politics and Society The Centennial anniversary appears to give the Philippines the achievement of establishing the first labor movement in South East Asia. This long history is even impressive, when we compare it to countries in Middle Europe, where trade unions had its birth some 160 to 180 years ago. In many societies, trade unions have been the major institutional actor in improving the socio-economic lot of ordinary workers, have challenged and tried to establish a counterweight to the socio-economic interests of other classes, and have contributed immensely to the nationalist struggle for a sovereign state, to nation-building and to a democratic political system. One hundred years is not just a milestone in history but also an opportunity to reflect on the achievement of the past and the needs of the future. Let me take a few indicators in order to assess where the labor movement stands today: 1. Organizational Strength The latest official labor statistics confirm what has been an alarming trend since several decades. The trade union movement is divided more than ever. There are still nine(9) national centers, 167 industry and general federations covering 6, 936 firm-unions, and 6,509 independent registered unions. This multiplicity may be impressive for someone, who looks at pluralism as a sign of strength. For someone, who believes, that structural disadvantages of labor against capital have to be overcome by organizational unity, this multiplicity is an indicator of weakness; If we put the organizational profile towards its real test, the so-called "representation test", we get a somber picture. Taken together, all these thousands of unions claim a membership of 1.6 million. However, there is no independent proof for such claims. We can assume that this figure is grossly inflated. One indicator for the strength of trade unions is the number of collective bargaining agreements(CBAs). The latest statistics of the Department of Labor and Employment(Dole) of Aug. 2001 states some 2,500 collective bargaining agreements concluded, covering some 450,000 workers. To determine from these 450,000 workers the real membership of trade unions, we have to take three steps: { First, add workers covered by CBAs which are not registered with DOLE; if