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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

INFORMAL WORKERS CALL FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR ALL, PASSAGE OF MAGNA CARTA

Some 25 informal workers' groups under the banner of MAGCAISA will call for social protection for all as well as the passage of the Magna Carta for Workers in the Informal Economy (MACWIE) . when they celebrate Informal Workers' Day on the morning of May 4 at the University of the Philippines  School of Labor and Industrial Relations (UPSOLAIR),  Diliman, Quezon City.
 
Rep. Dan Fernandez filed HB 1955 on MACWIE  at the House of Representatives, where the Committee on Labor already held a hearing on it.  Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago filed a similar bill in the Senate. Sponsors and co-sponsors of the bill in both houses of Congress  are expected to provide inspirational messages at the May 4 gathering of at least 200 informal worker leaders.

 
MACWIE, if passed,  will benefit the fast growing ranks of workers in the informal economy, who now comprise 24.6 million or 76 percent of total employed in the Philippines.   It assures informal workers, women and men,  of their rights at work, access to resources, social protection, and participation in decision-making..
 
Four policy briefs on social protection for all, social security, health insurance, and occupational safety and health will be launched during the May 4 celebration. The policy briefs call for inclusion of informal workers in social insurance schemes(SSS and PhilHealth), and the extension of occupational safety and health services for women and men in the informal economy.
 
Key officials of the SSS, PhilHealth,and the Occupational Safety and Health Center are expected to respond to the recommendations of the policy briefs, outputs of months of research and advocacy work involving informal workers' groups, academe (faculty of the University of the Philippines), and other stakeholders.with the support of the Social Protection in Asia (SPA) research and policy network program.
 
Before convening at UPSOLAIR, MAGCAISA representatives will participate in the flag ceremony at Quezon City Hall, where they will award Quezon City Mayor Feliciano "Sonny" Belmonte  with a certificate of recognition for his leadership in promoting and implementing programs and services for informal workers  in his locality.
 
The May 4 celebration will be held with the support of the Center for Labor Justice of UPSOLAIR and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).


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