Please find below two
news items. One is about the first ever conference of managers and employees in
10 water districts (WD) in Mindanao coming together to say ‘No to Water
Services Privatization.’ The second is about employees and management of
Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) uniting to oppose privatization of water
districts, although they are at loggerheads on a proposed ADB loan to MCWD.
WD unions have long
opposed water services privatization in the fundamental belief that water is a
human right, and its provisioning should not be passed on to a
profit-oriented private sector. Privatization will also lead to massive
layoffs of permanent employees and contractualization where workers have no benefits
and security of tenure.
The MCWD Employees Union
(MEU) opposes pending legislation because it would disband water districts and
create local water supply and sanitation companies that will focus on
forging PPPs in water and sanitation services, laying the groundwork for the
“accelerated assault upon the security of tenure of the civil servants and the
union security of its certified bargaining representatives.”
Regards,
Bobet Corral bobet_perez@yahoo.com
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Gov’t
eyeing privatization of water utilities, warn Mindanao water districts
MCWD,
employees union to oppose proposed Water Reform Act bill
