The Samahan ng mga Mang,gagawa sa Paliparan ng Pilipinas (SMPP) union representing the workers in the operations and maintenance of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), are up against the looming private takeover of the country’s primary airport, saying the plan would displace some 1,300 employees and may also trigger higher fees in airport services that may hurt travelers especially thousands of OFWs.
SMPP opposes this privatization given that there is no evidence from other airport privatizations that they deliver any measurable benefits for workers, passengers, taxpayers or public.
This view is shared by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global body that represents commercial airlines.
As IATA CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, commented: "We have yet to see an airport privatisation that has, in the long term, delivered on the promised benefits of greater efficiency for airlines and a better experience for our customers…But our view is that the ownership is best left in public hands."
The SMPP aired qualms during a picket held at the Senate grounds Tuesday, September 12, in time for the scheduled budget hearing of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
In a statement, SMPP President Andy Bercasio, said the call for bidding was issued by DOTr last August 23, 2023, but the most important factor in airport operations – the airport workers – were left grappling in the dark about their job security and other labor concerns once private concessionaires take over the jobs they are currently performing.
Everything that we do today as airport workers is the subject of the call for bidding priced at P170-B. Up for grabs are the construction of modern infrastructure services in NAIA as well as airport operations and maintenance currently manned by MAIA employees. Thus, we are in the dark as to what will happen to our jobs under this plan since none has been presented to us by MIAA and DOTr managements,” said Bercasio.
The Union wants the DOTr officials as well as the senators to take notice of their plight as the clock is ticking fast under the issued privatization timeline. The DOTr expects a concession agreement with the winning bidder in the first quarter of next year.
Coordination, discussion, participation, and representation of the Union in plans, programs and related activities concerning reorganization, re-engineering, privatization, and any related activities that affect the conditions of work of union members is provided under Article X Section 3 of the MIAA - SMPP Collective Negotiations Agreement (CNA).
In addition, international norms of social dialogue between key stakeholders, should underpin the process of privatization of airports according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
However, as SMPP President Andy Bercasio said all the talks happening behind us are all about investments. Probably because MIAA and DOTr may have already condemned labor as the most disposable element in this ongoing privatization talks, thus immaterial,” complained Bercasio.
The SMPP is raising the possibility of their members suffering the same fate as the airport workers in Mactan and Clark who were separated from service to join their private concessionaires under new contracts, with the promise of regular jobs and more benefits which never materialized.
The union expounded that workers have lost their job security while rates in airport services increased in cases involving some airport privatization, stating further that most of the world’s best and modern airports today remain public.
Bercasio said the Union was never against the modernization of our premier airport as quality transportation services in the country are the primary duty of the government.
But while it is true that the government has been remiss on this duty thus the deteriorating state of public services in the country, better and affordable services under privatization are also fake news based on our collective experience under water and power privatization, oil deregulation, and rice tariffication,” concluded Bercasio.
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