Federation of Free Workers

20/09/2026

FFW: HUWAG MAGING HUNGKAG ANG DEMOKRASYANG PAMPULITIKA—MAGTAYO NG UNYON, MAKIPAG-COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, AT PALAWAKIN ANG MIDDLE CLASS

“Naibalik natin ang pormal na demokrasyang pampulitika noong 1986. Ngunit higit na nagpalit ang mga personalidad kaysa sa sistemang nagpapanatili sa kapangyarihan at yaman sa kamay ng iilan. Hungkag ang demokrasyang pampulitika kung walang demokrasyang pangkabuhayan,” pahayag ni Atty. Sonny Matula, pangulo ng Federation of Free Workers (FFW), sa paggunita sa deklarasyon ng Martial Law.

Ayon sa FFW, mahalaga ang mga kalayaang nabawi matapos ang diktadura, ngunit hindi sapat ang pagboto at malayang pagpapahayag kung nananatiling walang kapangyarihan ang manggagawa sa mga pasyang humuhubog sa kanyang kabuhayan.

“May boses sa presinto, pero takot magsalita sa pabrika. Malaya sa balota, subalit nakasangla na ang ATM o gipit sa bawat kinsenas,” ani Matula.

Iginiit ng FFW ang pangangailangan ng malalakas, malaya, at demokratikong unyon upang magkaroon ng tunay na boses ang mga manggagawa sa sahod, seguridad sa trabaho, kaligtasan, at patas na bahagi sa yamang kanilang nililikha.

Nanawagan ang FFW sa mga manggagawa na magtayo at sumali sa mga unyon, at gamitin ang collective bargaining upang sama-samang maipaglaban ang makatarungang sahod, ligtas na lugar-paggawa, seguridad sa trabaho, at iba pang benepisyo.

“Kung may upuan ang negosyo sa hapag ng pagpapasya, dapat may upuan din ang paggawa. Sa pamamagitan ng unyon at collective bargaining, nagkakaroon ng tunay na kapangyarihan ang manggagawa sa paghubog ng kanyang kinabukasan,” dagdag ni Matula.

Binigyang-diin ng FFW na ang matatag na trabaho, sapat na sahod, at abot-kayang serbisyong pangkalusugan, edukasyon, at pabahay ang pundasyon ng lumalawak na gitnang uri at masiglang ekonomiya.

“Hindi lumalawak ang middle class sa pagpapalit ng tawag sa mahirap. Lumalawak ito kapag ang ordinaryong manggagawa ay may matatag na trabaho, sapat na sahod, at pagkakataong umasenso,” ani Matula.

Ayon sa FFW, kapag may sapat at tiyak na kita ang mga manggagawa, mas nagiging malakas ang kanilang kakayahang magpaaral, magpagamot, mag-impok, magkaroon ng maayos na tahanan, at tumangkilik sa mga lokal na negosyo. Sa ganitong paraan, lumalawak ang konsumo, lumilikha ng mas maraming oportunidad, at napapalakas ang gitnang uri.

Nanawagan ang FFW ng paggalang sa karapatang mag-unyon at makipagtawaran, paglikha ng mga trabahong may seguridad, pagpapatupad ng living wage, at pagbibigay ng abot-kayang serbisyong pangkalusugan, edukasyon, at pabahay.

Sa paggunita sa Martial Law, muling pinagtibay ng FFW ang paninindigang “Never again.” Ayon kay Matula, ang pangako ng 1986 ay dapat maramdaman sa disenteng buhay ng mga manggagawa at pamilyang patuloy na naiiwan.

“Ang demokrasya ay hindi lamang karapatang bumoto. Dapat itong maramdaman sa lugar-paggawa—sa kalayaang mag-unyon, sa lakas ng collective bargaining, sa sapat na sahod, at sa pagkakataong umunlad ang bawat pamilya,” pagtatapos ni Matula.

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17/09/2026

We are actively seeking a Communications Specialist to join our team! Qualified candidates may submit their CV to [email protected].

17/09/2026

Sama-samang ipinanawagan ng mga Local Union Presidents ng FFW na ipatupad ng DOLE ang RTWPB NCR Wage Order No. 27 na nagtatakda ng dagdag sa minimum wage na 60 pesos simula noong July 25; at karagdagan pang 25 pesos pagsapit ng January 20, 2027.

Wala nang hadlang dahil bigo ang mga construction firms na nagkwestyon sa makatarungang utos ng Wage Board na magbayad ng bond na hiningi ng Regional Trial Court ng Pasig.

Dagdag sahod, ipatupad! Ipatupad!

15/09/2026

MATULA: NO RESPONSIBLE TRADE WITHOUT WORKERS’ VOICE — TRADE AND INVESTMENT MUST BE A RACE TO THE TOP, NOT TO THE BOTTOM

BANGKOK, Thailand — 15 September 2026 — "Governments negotiating trade and investment agreements such as the proposed EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement, Pax Silica, and the Luzon Economic Corridor must ensure that workers, through their trade unions, farmers, civil society organizations, and Indigenous Peoples in affected communities have a meaningful voice from negotiation to implementation," Federation of Free Workers (FFW) President Atty. Sonny Matula said.

Matula was attending the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand.

“There can be no responsible business without responsible treatment of workers. And there can be no truly responsible trade agreement if the people who will live with its consequences are absent from the negotiating table,” Matula said.

Matula stressed that trade unions should assert their participation from the very beginning of negotiations and push for strong, enforceable labor-rights provisions in trade and investment agreements.

“Even a well-intentioned agreement can be misunderstood—or rejected—if workers and communities are merely informed after everything has already been decided. Participation creates understanding, ownership and accountability. Workers are not spectators to development; they are partners in it," Matula said.

Matula said trade agreements must never become a race to the bottom, where countries compete by offering cheaper labor, weaker unions or lower social and environmental protections.

“Trade must instead be a race to the top—toward decent and secure jobs, living wages, technology and skills transfer, stronger industries, safe workplaces, freedom of association, collective bargaining and respect for human rights," Matula added.

He emphasized that the ILO’s five fundamental principles and rights at work are reflected in ten fundamental Conventions: freedom of association and collective bargaining under Conventions 87 and 98; elimination of forced labor under 29 and 105; abolition of child labor under 138 and 182; elimination of discrimination under 100 and 111; and a safe and healthy working environment under 155 and 187.

“These standards should not be decorative paragraphs buried at the back of trade agreements. They should have teeth—implementation, monitoring, worker participation and effective remedies when rights are violated," Matula said.

The labor leader asked the Philippines to study the experiences of countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and India in negotiating labor, sustainable-development and human-rights commitments in their economic relations with the European Union, including what worked and what shortcomings workers encountered.

He connected the challenge of responsible business today with the ILO Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944, which declared that “labour is not a commodity” and that “poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere.”

“More than eight decades later, Philadelphia remains remarkably relevant. Global supply chains may have changed, technology may have changed, and trade agreements may have become more complicated—but the worker remains a human being, not a commodity.”

“If trade produces wealth but silences workers, it is not inclusive. If investment creates jobs but destroys rights, it is not responsible. And if development leaves workers, farmers, Indigenous Peoples and communities outside the room and off the table, it cannot truly be called sustainable development," Matula said.

“No business is responsible without workers’ rights. No trade is responsible without workers’ voices. And there can be no sustainable development without social justice,” Matula said.

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Atty. Sonny Matula, President of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), made the intervention during the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 15, 2026.

10/09/2026

04/09/2026

NINJA VAN RIDERS NAG-PIKET SA DOLE: I-DELIVER ANG HUSTISYA, HUWAG I-“RETURN TO SENDER”

MANILA --- The Ninja Van Riders Union picketed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Central Office in Intramuros today together with leaders of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) to assert the right to collective bargaining and the immediate reinstatement of illegally dismissed workers.

The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) issued a final and executory decision ordering the reinstatement of more than 130 union members and the payment of ₱61 million in backwages and other benefits of workers.

“May NCMB conciliation conference din tayo ngayong araw. Hindi dapat burahin ang aming bargaining unit through contractualization at pagpapalit sa mga regular riders ng tinatawag na independent contractors para lang i-maximize ang profit,” said Union President Dick Pacioles.

The labor court ordered the reinstatement of the workers late December 2025 while the union won recognition through a certification also held last year.

"Hindi puwedeng tumangging makipag-bargain sa certified bargaining agent," Pacioles added.

Labor federation FFW took a jab at the defiance of the employers.

"Hindi rin puwedeng takasan ang final and executory judgment. Ninja Van delivers parcels—but workers’ rights cannot be tagged ‘return to sender," said Atty. Sonny Matula, president of the FFW.

The riders union called on Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino to ensure the speedy enforcement of the labor tribunal's decision under his administrative supervision.

“Taon ang ipinaglaban namin sa kaso. Hindi nakakain ang panalo sa papel. Dapat matamasa na ng mga manggagawa ang bunga ng desisyon—huwag hayaang mabulok dahil sa delay,” added Pacioles.

The riders also expressed solidarity with the striking DHL United Workers Union–SENTRO and workers of NCR who are mired in a court dispute that stopped the implementation of the ₱85 wage increase through an injunction.

The FFW and NAGKAISA! stand with the Ninja Van workers and the continuing struggle of the DHL United Workers Union for genuine collective bargaining.

"When employers close the door to dialogue and ignore final decisions, workers are left with no choice but to bring their case to the streets," said Matula.

"Respect freedom of association. Bargain in good faith. Reinstate the riders. Release the ₱61-million award. Deliver justice now," Matula concluded. # # #

04/09/2026

NINJA VAN RIDERS NAG-PIKET SA DOLE: I-DELIVER ANG HUSTISYA, HUWAG I-“RETURN TO SENDER”

Nag-piket ngayong araw sa harap ng DOLE Central Office ang Ninja Van Riders Union–FFW, kasama ang Federation of Free Workers at ilang kaalyado sa NAGKAISA!, upang igiit ang collective bargaining at agarang pagpapatupad ng final and executory NLRC decision na nag-uutos ng reinstatement ng humigit-kumulang 130 riders at pagbabayad ng mahigit ₱61 milyon sa backwages at iba pang benepisyo.

“May NCMB conciliation conference din tayo ngayong araw. Hindi dapat burahin ang aming bargaining unit through contractualization at pagpapalit sa mga regular riders ng tinatawag na independent contractors para lang i-maximize ang profit,” sabi ni Union President Dick Pacioles.

Hindi puwedeng tumangging makipag-bargain sa certified bargaining agent. Hindi rin puwedeng takasan ang final and executory judgment. Ninja Van delivers parcels—but workers’ rights cannot be tagged ‘return to sender.’

Nanawagan ang unyon kay Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino na tiyakin ang mabilis na enforcement ng mga desisyon ng labor tribunals tulad ng NLRC na nasa kanyang administrative supervision.

“Taon ang ipinaglaban namin sa kaso. Hindi nakakain ang panalo sa papel. Dapat matamasa na ng mga manggagawa ang bunga ng desisyon—huwag hayaang mabulok dahil sa delay,” dagdag ni Pacioles.

Nakikiisa rin ang mga rider sa nagwewelgang DHL United Workers Union–SENTRO at sa mga manggagawa sa NCR na patuloy na lumalaban sa korte para maipatupad ang ₱85 wage increase na hinarang ng TRO at preliminary injunction.

FFW and NAGKAISA! stand with the Ninja Van workers and the continuing struggle of the DHL United Workers Union for genuine collective bargaining. When employers close the door to dialogue and ignore final decisions, workers are left with no choice but to bring their case to the streets.

Respect freedom of association. Bargain in good faith. Reinstate the riders. Release the ₱61-million award. Deliver justice now. # # #

03/09/2026

"The labor group said that if the government maintains that the Regional Trial Court lacked jurisdiction, it should seek decisive relief instead of waiting for the comment period to lapse or for the RTC to act on its own timetable.

“Ten days may be procedural time in court. For a minimum wage worker, those ten days mean food, fare and bills. DOLE should act, not watch the calendar,” Matula said.

Nagkaisa and FFW also called on DOLE to issue clear guidance to employers, warning that continued uncertainty could lead to workplace disputes involving wage differentials, arrears and wage distortion."

NEARLY P4 billion in wages has been held up amid a dispute over the implementation of Wage Order 27, according to the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, which on Wednesday urged labor officials to defend and implement the wage order.

03/09/2026

"You cannot consult workers and employers, study the numbers, deliberate and issue a Wage Order—then become a spectator when your own authority is challenged," FFW President Sonny Matula said.

"A Wage Board cannot be brave enough to issue an order but too shy to defend it."

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines on Wednesday called on employers in Metro Manila to implement the first 60-peso tranche of an 85-peso increase to the minimum wage, saying there is no "operative injunction" against the implementation of Wage Order No. NCR-27.