Taasan ang suweldo

If you have been shopping in Harrison Plaza for quite some time, you would have witnessed the strikes that have been going on around it since last year. A group of people that have been protesting until now have formed their own shelter outside of the SM Department store. They used a variety of signs to stick on the walls, and hung banners over and around them so that their area had a fence that surrounded them. SM Barat, Welga Kami, and Job Security Ipaglaban, are only some of the messages that were boldly written on the banners. It got me wondering on how long they will keep up this strike since nobody seemed to be taking any action, so I decided to find out for myself by going to their banner-clad shelter and asking for an interview with one of the organizers of the strike.

There were two people within picket lines that they used as a boundary. One of them agreed to answer whatever questions that we may have. The man was very accommodating and told us to have a sit and fire away. His name was Alex Pupa, 37 years of age, and he used to work at the Warehouse Stock Market at the SM Department store. He has been working for 19 years and his salary was only 356 pesos a day.

The management was being very unfair and the workers have had enough of very low salary, so they decided that it was time to declare their rights. They filed a ULP (Unfair Labor Practice) at the SM management and formed a union called SMS-NFWU-KMU.At August 2002, an organization was formed, and then they started to hold strikes and picket fences. When asked for how long that they plan to keep up the strike, he replies, “Hanggang matitiis pa. Hanggang bayaran nila kami.” They cannot accept the fact that SM management does not give them their worth of salaries. The union will only withdraw from the strike when the SM management grants their request.

I wanted to know why he still insists on pursuing the strike when the management does not seem to be taking action. According to Mr. Pupa, it is already difficult to seek for a job at his age. Where does he get the money he spends for daily living? He relies on the support and help of other people. His fellow partners-in-strike were gone for the meantime because they have their own families. He stays within the fence and he seems contented there. “Sa iba ngang branches, sa Makati, Cubao, o North Edsa, naha-harass ang mga nagi-istrike ng mga guwardiya, pulis, at mga lolo-lokong tambay. Dito wala naman masyadong paki at hindi nanggugulo ang mga tao.”