The secretary general of the General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) is urging workers to continue the struggle for justice and equality.
Wennie Sancho said in a press release the number of workers in the sugar industry are about 250,000 nationwide. In Negros Island, there are more than 180,000 sugar workers and about 80 percent of them are hacienda workers.
Sancho avers that the sugar industry, which is a significant sector in the Negros Island’s economy, has been historically plagued by issues of exploitation, inequality and social injustice. Despite efforts to address these concerns, sugar workers continue to face numerous challenges including poor working conditions, low wages, limited access to social services, and inadequate protection of their rights.
The theme “Justice and Equality, the Unfinished Agenda” should remind us to acknowledge the ongoing struggle of the sugar workers in the Negros Island Region in particular and the whole country in general. There will be no changes in their miserable lives, even as we celebrate the new year 2025, he said.
As a labor advocate, Sancho is urging the workers to assert their freedom of conscience by recognizing the past and the present injustices inflicted upon the poor and toiling masses.
“As members of the working class, we should study the struggle of the workers in the sugar industry by acknowledging their historical exploitation and marginalization. Let us not forget to remember the brave and militant labor leaders and advocates who underwent sacrifices and even gave their lives for the cause of the workers,” his statement said.
“We must continue to highlight in our advocacy the continuing labor oppression and violation of trade union and human rights years after years. We should all be labor advocates for justice and equality. We should continue to push for equal opportunity, fair wages and better working conditions,” Sancho said.
Centuries of burden suffered by our brothers and sisters in the fields of labor oppression should tell us not to allow those cruelties of history to be repeated again, he said.
Justice and equality, the unfinished agenda, serves as a call to action for the new year 2025 onwards, reminding us of the ongoing struggle for fairness and dignity that were stolen from the workers in the sugar industry, by the forces of oppression, Sancho said.
By acknowledging the past, addressing the present challenges, and inspiring the future generation, we can work together towards a more equitable and just society, he said.
The journey towards the “Workers’ Emancipation” is long and complex. However, with persistence, collective action, and strategic collaboration, a brighter future for the workers is possible. Probably not in our time. But sooner or later it will come with the thunder of the workers’ voices, Sancho added.*
