
THE BIGGEST labor coalition in the Philippines urged the government on Thursday to conduct a no-nonsense investigation into the Sept. 29 killing of 67-yead-old labor leader, Jude Thaddeus Fernandez, at the hands of police.
In a statement, Nagkaisa said the fatal shooting of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) member makes it the 72nd case of labor-related killings in the country since 2016 and the fourth since the International Labor Organization (ILO) sent its High Level-Tripartite mission last January.
“An attack on one unionist is an attack on all who strive for the principles of justice, freedom of association, and workers’ rights,” the Nagkaisa statement said as it called on the government to come up with concrete measures to address threats against labor activists.
The group noted that on the same day of the killing, trade union leaders were in a dialogue with Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma.
A team of ILO representatives met with trade unions and government officials in January to discuss human rights violations against workers and union organizers.
Later in June, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo visited the country and told Philippine labor groups that he was aware of reports of violence against workers and has been monitoring the situation for more than a decade.
Last April, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed an executive order creating an inter-agency body that would investigate labor rights violations targeting trade unionists.
However, labor groups called for an amendment to the order creating the task force, citing the lack of participation from workers in crafting the measure.
Nagkaisa said Mr. Fernandez’s killing serves as “a stark reminder that we seem to be repeating history” and that it “strikes at the core of our shared humanity.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez