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Miners’ wives reveal survival strategies during Lepanto strike

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 22) —Miners’ wives now recount how their families survived without their breadwinners’ wages. The consumers’ cooperative funds were not remitted by the company thus, there was no available cash to be loaned to the workers.

With their husbands joining the strike of the Lepanto Employees Union (LEU) for three months since June 2 which ended last September 10, it was the women who had to remedy the hard and trying times.

While they supported their striking husbands by joining the picket areas, they also had time to look for por dia (daily paid work), sell their abel (woven products), or go to their provincial homes to bring back abasto (goods) they get from their relatives. They would then use the proceeds for the educational needs of their children and for their basic needs expenses.

Victoria Afangka, 33 years old, with two children in school, shares to NORDIS their learning experience from the second strike by their husbands.

“Napairut ti panagkaykaysa mi kas workers’ community. Nasuro mi met a mabalin nga agsuporta ti strike ken mapan mangged tapnu adda usaren ti agad-adal ken pangkasapulan nan ubbing mi,” (Our unity as workers’ community was strengthened. We learned that we can support the strike and still find time to work for the schooling of our kids and for the basic needs at home) she says in Iloco and Kankanaey when interviewed by NORDIS.

A delegation from the Timpuyog ti Babbae iti Minasan a Lepanto (TBML) an association of women whose husbands works n the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (Lepanto) joined the rally against state terrorism on September 21 in Baguio City.

She said some of the women were able to get a por dia (daily-waged jobs) in the vegetable gardens of farmers in Mankayan. Farmers, who understand their situation, usually donate vegetables for their families so that when they went home in the evening, there was food for the next two-three days. They even had some for the picket lines which they also helped man.

“Ti dadduma ket ag-abel wenno apan da ilako ti naabel da sadiay Baguio tapno isupay nga usaren” (Others will weave or have their earlier weaved products sold in Baguio City for their needs.), she added. They stretched the payments of their products for their families’ needs.

Some of the workers children are studying in Baguio City. Victoria adds that the remedy during the examinations during the strike was to write a promissory note to the administrators of these schools for their children to take the examinations. She adds that the administrators allowed their children to take their examinations.

The workers strikes had received support from other groups in Mankayan, in the region, as far as Metro Manila and Cordillera overseas workers. So the TBML members at least think of their families as their husbands receive no salaries and the funds for the employees’ cooperative were not remitted by the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMC).

Victoria is hopeful now as the workers, except the 19 leaders, went back to work on September 12.

Salute to dismissed leaders

“These present leaders are incorruptible. Their deeds taught the workers to sacrifice for their rights and welfare and led the practice of the real essence of unionism. Before, any workers may be dismissed without appropriate processes,” the mucker’s wife added in Kankanaey. She is from Mountain Province.

Victoria joins however the sentiments of the other workers wives and supporters that if possible the dismissed leaders should be reinstated. “They all joined the strike but they end up terminated,” she adds. As the dismissal is already inevitable, the good deeds of the leaders remain as a learning lesson for the workers to unselfishly sacrifice for their fellow workers.

There was information that one of the LEU officials was offered P3 million to give up the strike but he had chosen to stick with the union’s demands.

A Lepanto unionist believes that the company will always use means to weaken the strength of the union with the leaders terminated.

“But we are not afraid anyway. Their brand of leadership will remain, with our wives and children behind our struggle,” he said. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS

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