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Lepanto women, children rally behind workers

MANKAYAN, Benguet (May 31) — Wilma is 11 years old and the fourth of 6 children. This week, she joined over 1,000 women and children here in a march-rally supporting the demands of the Lepanto Employees Union (LEU) under the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo). Wilma’s father is a member of the LEU.

“The rest of my siblings are here too,” Wilma says, while seriously holding up a placard calling on the LCMCo management to grant the union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covering the years 2005 to 2008. The union has proposed for a P29-P29-P33 proposal in the CBA negotiations while management offers P21-P26-P28.

Led by the Timpuyog dagiti Babbai iti Minasan ti Lepanto (TBML), the march-rally took place within the company’s compound, starting from the Union Hall to Cruz, then back to the General Office where a short program was held. This historical event is the first of its kind among the women and children of Mankayan.

Throughout the march, Wilma, mothers, grandmothers in their bare feet, sisters, and aunts relentlessly called out the union’s demands for the Lepanto community to know. Lepanto encompasses the villages of Sapid and Cabitin.

During the 2003 LCMCo strike, the miners’ wives played a significant role in manning and sustaining the picketlines, even being at the forefront during the rallies to reiterate their husbands’ call for just wages and benefits.

“Makitignay kami met, dakami nga asawa ken aannak. Bassit laeng daytoy a dawat mi ti kompanya. Saan kami a mamati a maluglugi ti Lepanto,” (We don’t believe that Lepanto is not earning. The union’s demand is even a small portion of the company’s profit raked in. That is why we, and our children chose to support the miners’ call) said Analene Bayaten, TBML secretary during the program. Her husband has worked for LCMCo for 10 years.

Another TBML member, Marivic Kitalan, asserted that the demand for the said wage increase is only just and legitimate.

“The miners’ basic pay of P341 daily can only allow us to buy the immediate needs of the household, like sugar and milk. What about the daily allowance we need to send our children to school?” she said.

Basic alliance

Aside from the women and children of the locality, the peasant sector of Mankayan, Tadian (Mt. Province). Cervantes and Quirino (Ilocos Sur) expressed their support to the workers’ demands through the inter-municipality alliance MACQUITACDG (Mankayan-Cervantes-Quirino-Tadian Danggayan a Gunglo).

MACQUITACDG Secretary General Xavier Akien in a solidarity message condemned LCMCo’s 69 years of destructive mining, and the company’s use of the state’s armed forces to protect their interests, such as in the 2003 workers’ strike.

Akien also condemned the Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) order issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas even when the workers are not yet on strike. Akien emphasized the constitutional right to strike, at this time when laws are used to suppress people fighting for their democratic rights.

He emphasized the basic alliance of workers and peasants, which was proven during the 2003 strike. Local peasants and even those from neighboring communities did not only express support for the striking workers then. They also helped sustain the workers’ picketlines by providing food.The program ended in a pattong led by the women and youth of the area. # ATB for NORDIS

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