GABRIELA SALUTES all women workers of ShoeMart who opt to assert
their rights as women and as workers on Women’s Month!
Amid the worsening crisis brought about by the US war of aggression
against Iraq, workers of ShoeMart continue to suffer from the unfair
labor practice from the management of SM, Inc. under the Contractualization
King, Mr. Henry Sy, Sr.
As patrons and consumers of Shoemart, GABRIELA is one with the struggle
of the women workers who comprise 85% of the labor force. They spend
the whole day on their feet, loyally serving SM customers and bringing
in billions of pesos in profit for Mr. Sy in exchange for low wages,
job insecurity, and inhuman working conditions. In particular, we
deplore the working condition in which women are made to wear short
skirts and two-inch high heels all day. They have to secure a pass
before they can go to the comfort room for only 3-5 minutes. Pregnant
women are not even provided with seats so they can rest occasionally.
Such exploitative conditions are experienced not only by regular
workers but also by the majority of women contractual workers or trainees
whose fair skin and “pleasing personality” are used as
added attraction for the merchandise they are selling. They are made
to stand up for eightstraight hours, greeting and assisting customers
while wearing permanent smiles plastered on their faces. For all these,
they get nothing more than minimum wage, no benefits and are not even
allowed to join the union. Worse, the SM management treats them like
merchandise that has to be dispensed with before the six months “expiry
date.”
The SM workers took up the cudgels for all women workers, both regular
and contractual, by including benefits specific for women such as
twice a year pap smear examination, family planning seminars, free
distribution of contraceptives, menstrual leave and benefits for paternal
leave in their collective bargaining demands. Unfortunately but expectedly,
the SM management rejected these demands outright early on during
the CBA.
GABRIELA has always been in the forefront of the struggle against
the exploitation and commodification of women. We fully support the
SM workers’ struggle because it confronts and addresses these
particular issues of women workers.
We also encourage women, youth and children consumers to support
the struggle of the SM workers because their struggle is one for survival.
This is a struggle for women to assert their rights to organize, to
attain job security, to receive just wages and to work in humane conditions.
Most of all, this struggle is beyond economic concerns. It is in the
hearts and spirit of people who are against all forms of exploitation
and oppression.
Finally, we urge women and their families to show capitalists like
Mr. Henry Sy that we, consumers, are in solidarity with the workers’
struggle. Let us boycott SM while the workers are on strike.
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Emmi de Jesus is the Deputy Secretary General of GABRIELA.
