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Manila Bulletin devider Environment and Sustainability devider Waste workers push for magna carta, equal rights

Waste workers push for magna carta, equal rights

The newly formed Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance has drafted the Magna Carta of Waste Workers bill, seeking to formalize the sector's right to just compensation, social benefits, and protection

Published Jun 12, 2024 01:21 am

Waste workers urged lawmakers on June 11, 2024, at UP Diliman, to pass a bill institutionalizing the sector’s right to just labor conditions.

The Magna Carta of Waste Workers, Senate Bill No. 2636, was drafted by the Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance (PNWWA), a coalition of 12 waste worker groups that demanded for the following:

• enforcement of labor standards
• hazard pay
• health insurance and services
• humane and safe working conditions
• job security
• just compensation
• meaningful participation in policy spaces
• right to organize
• social benefits and protection
• training

Senator Loren Legarda filed the bill on April 17, 2024, and it is now pending committee review.

"I acknowledge the validity of the demands of the waste workers — their call for fair treatment, job security, and access to essential services resonates deeply with the principles of justice and equity,” the senator said. “These are valid concerns that warrant attention and action, and I am committed to working collaboratively in finding solutions that ensure a just transition for all.”

Despite their vital role in environmental sustainability and public health, waste workers are often marginalized due to their informal work nature. Common sectoral issues include low wages, job insecurity, exposure to hazardous materials, and lack of access to healthcare and social protection.

According to the magna carta, waste workers shall be paid at least the minimum wage for non-agricultural workers and provided with protective equipment and hazard allowance for perilous work. Informal or independent waste workers also have the right to join or form associations, which must be registered with the Department of Labor and Employment.

“We are calling for, among others, just compensation and social benefits and protection because we provide essential services to society,” said PNWWA President Aloja Santos. “We are as deserving of such benefits and protection as any other worker, perhaps even more so. Without us, society will not function efficiently."

Environmental organizations that supported the bill include the Mother Earth Foundation, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Asia Pacific, Philippine Earth Justice Center, and EcoWaste Coalition.

Related Tags

Senator Loren Legarda MBEnvironment PNWWA President Aloja Santos Magna Carta of Waste Workers
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