INTRODUCTION
Allow me to greet you today in the spirit of friendship and comradeship that unites all workers everywhere.

Today we are all workers here. And while we may be in the employ of different organizations and institutions, we are all in the service of our beloved Philippines, of our people and of humankind.

Friendship, it is said, cannot be too demanding a relationship, whether among persons or between government and trade unions. And this is how i believe my relationship with the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) is founded — on friendship.

For some, our closeness could be misconstrued as a little strange, considering that the Federation of Free Workers was founded in 1950 on the theme “free from politics and politicians; free from communists; and free from government domination”.

To the nearsighted, it is all too easy to misread respect and friendship for something else. But to those sensitive to objectivity and are careful students of historical patterns, our partnership is not based on purely personal preferences, but on a convergence of principles.

When you supported me in the 1992 elections, my party’s Christian Democratic and Muslim orientation and your Christian Social Democratic perspective made that convergence possible.

We both believe in a government whose policies and actions proceed from the precepts of democracy the empowerment of the people and a faith in the almighty. These principles must continue to guide our cooperative relationship, for on them likewise depend the full political liberation and economic empowerment of our people.
THE ROLE OF UNIONS IN THIS AGE OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COMPETITION
The adversarial character that has dominated the relationship, in the Philippines between and among trade unions, employers and government unfortunately remains with us, to some extent, today.

However, since we restored democracy in 1986, we have made significant strides in fostering respect and cooperation among ourselves toward greater economic and political empowerment.

Government breeds dependency if it merely creates programs designed to collect clients rather than empowering communities or organizations of citizens. This undermines the confidence and competence of citizens and communities.

Desirably, the programs we pursue must respond to the fast-changing world around us. This is a world that will not always wait for our consensus.

The growing economic competition in the global arena, fueled by dizzying pace of technological progress, requires that we immediately put our house in order, shape up as a team to compete, or perish otherwise.

The World Trade Organization is about to be operationalized. The various aggrupations — ASEAN/AFTA, the European Community, NAFTA and APEC, among others, demand much of us, and will test our abilities to respond, to adapt, and to excel. Our strategies for competitiveness must therefore be already in place.

In the face of stiff global economic competition, the role of unions can no longer be that of a gladiator engaged in a duel to the death with the “lion” employers of this country, but that of a seasoned diplomat peacefully and skillfully negotiating for mutually beneficial ends.

And in this arena, we must not be adversarial competitors, but team players with different but complementary roles to play. While some differences of opinion may remain among us and will be tolerated in our democracy, we should all be willing to make sectoral sacrifices for larger societal goals.

It is a tribute to the activism and foresight of the FFW that it has grasped, early on, the wide-ranging implications of recent international developments by initiating a systematic and sustained study.

More than this, I also note that the FFW has long been studying these international developments in relation to domestic concerns such as structural adjustments, safety nets, scientific negotiations and bargaining.

It is this constructive activism and militancy displayed by organizations such as the FFW which has enlarged and strengthened labor’s hand in public affairs.

With this militancy, the sectoral representation of workers in congress and other policy-making agencies becomes real and more meaningful.

For its part, government’s policy of allowing even more participation comes not out of desire to co-opt or dominate labor, but as a proof of faith in your ability to express clearly and representatively the desires of our people.

Thus, you are now both witness and participant to our efforts to truly involve trade unions and other workers and basic sector organizations, not only in alleviating the adverse impacts of crises but also in proactively charting the political and socio-economic destiny of our nation.

My administration values your contributions to the multi-sectoral summit and the structural reform consultations. They have helped shape our policies and have guided us in considering our options for moving forward.

This is also the reason why, despite the tempting overtures of forces both from within and without the country that call for galvanized and unilateral decisions of government on economic and political issues, I have stuck to the consultative and consensus-building process.

For while the decisions we need to make might be slow in coming at first because of such consultations, the decisiveness with which we are able to implement them afterwards more than compensates for the little time lost. This will enable our economic recovery to proceed on the basis of sound judgment and resolute action.
INITIATIVE AND INDEPENDENCE
It speaks well of your initiative and independence that you should celebrate Labor Day by highlighting your own achievements as workers in advancing welfare, rather than looking at government alone to deliver the goods for you.

Indeed, in your activism for nation-building, the birth of the “citizen-union” has truly come upon us. It is a bold manifestation of what workers’ organizations — which are truly committed to the welfare not only of their members but also of the entire nations — can do.

If all of us carry on with this attitude, then i am positive that we can attain faster our shared vision of “Philippines 2000!!!”.

I realize that carrying this constructive form of activism to full fruition will not be easy. This cannot be achieved by merely banding together under a common organization with a common name. The principles and values we espouse must be continuously internalized, refined and internalized once more.

And internalization will not come about by the imposition of directives but through intense debates, soul-searching, critical evaluation and objective consensus-building. I believe that your term for it is: unity within democratic pluralism.
A CALL FOR EXPANSION OF ROLES
But to share the fruits of development equitably, the trade unions must not be content with merely serving their present constituency. There is a large segment of workers whose lives have not been touched by your organizing skills.

I speak of those in the informal sector. I speak of those engaged in marginal farm work, of budding entrepreneurs, of persons with disabilities, of children and youth, of our poorest communities.

Even women and young professionals would need to organize to fully participate in our national economic and political life.

You should not be afraid to chart new courses for their upliftment. While collective bargaining remains your main concern, you must look as well into skills formation and values renewal.

Likewise, organized labor should find many opportunities in entrepreneurship development and in the acquisition and application of appropriate technology.

As our Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan addresses it, our competitiveness will hinge not on a supply of cheap labor, but on true human development. I call upon you to share in this responsibility of comprehensive renewal.
A NEW MODE OF CELEBRATING LABOR DAY
As you must be aware by now, I have proclaimed that, henceforth, we shall not just be celebrating a Labor Day but a Labor Week.

And as you have started it, all Labor Day celebrations from now on will not simply be occasions for extolling of past achievements, but occasion for launching new and bold initiatives as well.

Much remains to be achieved in terms of addressing the concrete needs of our workers.

Stable, productive and remunerative jobs, decent homes, useful education, health security, safe and efficient transportation and sustainable environment — these are just a few of the issues we must continue to address. Let us meet them head on as we press towards “Philippines 2000!!!”.

In this connection, I am very pleased to report that, earlier today, and to ease the plight of our retired workers, I approved the recommendation of the Social Security Commission increasing by five percent (5%) across-the-board the monthly pensions of social security pensioners.

This increase, which takes effect immediately, should help ameliorate whatever economic difficulties our pensioners may be facing. It will require no increase in the rate of contribution, and will come entirely out of the Social Security Fund.
BLAZING NEW PATHS
Beholden to no one and hostage to no ideology, the FFW is no stranger to blazing new paths. You have been known to challenge traditions with the pragmatism of true workers. You must continue in this role of a dynamic and constructive activist of our times.

Let me end my message by paraphrasing a statesman who once said: “one man can make a difference and everyone should try”.

Today I say to you: one trade union can make a difference and the FFW should lead us all in trying — in trying to do our best at our jobs, to do our best by one another, to give our best to the nation and to its future.

Mabuhay tayong lahat!