Social Movement Unionism

Unión Obrera Democrática (UOD) or the so-called Democratic Workers Union was the first established union federation spearheaded by Isabelo Delos Reyes “Don Belong” against the pre-war and post-war colonial rule of the Americans. The rise of resistance rests on a movement that targets the root causes of unjust working conditions, low wages, and privileged access to education. Earlier labor unions weren’t that much of a root cause finder, unlike UOD, instead, they formed coalitions and alliances to stand as beneficiaries for the needs of its members, not tackling the systematic issue the whole community faces. The legacy of social movement unionisms (SMUs) reflects through new labor policies: one of which is how UOD created the eight-hour work time policy under the Labor Code of the Philippines under Article 83. Also filing the ILO Convention 29 where we overthrew the use of forced labor in different sectors—SMUs have political visions of collectivism which may vary on issues that arise from time to time.

SMUs reflect urgency. Kilusang Mayo Uno, one of the notable unions inspired by UOD at the peak of the former dictatorship of Marcos, utilized the “welgang bayan” principle against the rapid oil price increases affected by wars emerging from the other parts of the world. Protests of martial law, murders of union leaders and activists, and the Mendiola massacre. SMUs are politically oriented both globally and locally. SMUs’ political visions vary according to a group’s intention. SMUs like Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) reflect collectivism beyond local relations as they mold people through merging organizations internationally. Other than that, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) focuses on contemporary relevance by fusing gender and labor issues, and lastly, it reflects through governance. We have Akbayan who opts to take seats in progressive political parties to make such accountabilities of the government more transparent. SMUs are started by different people from all walks of life who noticed how economic and work conditions shook their lives as labor unions are more than just giving more jobs, but on making Filipinos’ daily lives holistic.