TABLE 5.
Comparative trade-union character as reflected in the issues unions raised and their perception of these issues
Elements of comparison TUCP
Focuses on job-oriented issues
with strong emphasis on the
Issues Raised economic aspect; but also raises
democratic and political.
Views issues as an offshoot of
unbridled capitalism aggravated
Perception of Problems by the inability of government to
institute appropriate and effective
economic policies.
Against laissez-faire capitalism
and proposes more aggressive
welfare reforms by the State; also
General Stand favors free enterprise but with
strict regulations on the right to
private property.
In this context, it is willing to work
and cooperate with government.
Favors foreign investments; but
Foreign investments proposes tighter government
controls.
Honors US-RP military bases
U.S. Military bases agreement; proposes a
nationwide discussion to decide
on the issue.
Character Predominantly economist, but
also projects a defensive and
democratic character.
FFW
Emphasizes the democratic and
political issues of unionism. Also
articulates job-related issues,
whether economic or political.
Traces problems to the capitalist
structure of the economy.
Rejects free, perfect competition;
proposes an economy managed
through tripartite consultation.
Still unclear about its political role
in society.
Recognizes the need for foreign
investments; but proposes strict
regulations.
Respects US-RP military
agreement; proposes to submit
the issue to the Filipino people in
a national referendum.
Predominantly democratic and
political, but also economics and
defensive.
KMU
Equal emphasis given to the four
types of issues: (1) job-related, (2)
union, (3) sectoral, and (4)
national.
Attributes the origins of issues to
worsening foreign monopolies
and capitalist domination over the
country’s resources & internal
affairs, perpetrated by the
collusion of domestic elites.
Rejects capitalism; proposes an
economy that is nationalist and
democratic within a socialist
perspective.
Strongly rejects foreign
investments; proposes the
nationalization of industries
owned by multinationals.
Total and immediate dismantling
(1986k, 4: LACC, 1988b, 1)
Revolutionary and conflictual.
 TABLE 6. Comparative forms of trade-union action
Elements of comparison TUCP
Methods Extensive use of dialogue and
negotiations.
Collective bargaining,
cooperativism, tripartism.
Dominant Strategies
Heavy involvement in
parliamentary politics.
Great reliance on the traditional
forms of actions.
Strikes are mainly staged at the
factory level.
Form of Trade Union Mass actions are rare and mainly
to celebrate annual labor
festivities.
Allying with political parties.
Highly traditional, conservative
Behavior and conformist; tendency to be
collaborative and compromising.
FFW
Extensive use of dialogue and
negotiations.
Collective bargaining,
cooperativism, tripartism.
Limited use of parliamentary
politics.
Great reliance on the traditional
forms of actions.
Strikes are mainly staged at the
factory level.
Mass actions are occasional and
mainly to pursue economic
interests of members.
Links with non-labor groups
known to espouse Christian
democracy.
Marked tendency to be
conciliatory; more willing to
compromise than go on strikes or
engage in more open and
confrontational forms of mass
action.
KMU
Heavy reliance on mass and
political actions.
Open, confrontational and
combative.
Occasional use of parliamentary
politics; heavy use of
extraparliamentary methods.
Suspicious and critical of the use
of traditional forms of actions.
Strikes and picketing are used
even outside factory confines and
used to ventilate non-industrial
issues.
Heavy reliance and extensive use
of protest marches and
demonstrations.
Links with national democratic
forces.
Highly aggressive, coercive,
adversarial as well as combative.
 TABLE 8. Comparative ideological orientation of Philippine trade unions
Social beliefs TUCP
Government-initiated and supported.
Beginnings Strong support from the American
ICFTU and AFFLI.
Social democracy
Ideological orientation
Stresses the free exercise of civil
Human nature liberties and equality of opportunities
to ensure total human development.
Viewed as workers/peasants’
participation in the formulation,
decision-making, and implementation
Democracy of plans at all levels of society; also as
pluralism in society achieved through
majority rule and respect for the
rights of the minority.
Viewed as social justice or that which
assures everyone of a just and
Socialism equitable share of society’s income
and of a progressive rise in standard
of living.
Viewed as patriotism and love of
country; also as nationalist-oriented
Nationalism industrialization where indigenous
resources are heavily utilized and
whose objective is serving the needs
of the domestic market.
To strive for the establishment and
Trade union promotion of a humanist, social-
democratic society.
FFW
Church-initiated but exhibiting
parallel interests with the US
government and labor movement.
Christian democracy
Stresses the spiritual and material
content of human development.
Viewed as workers’ and people’s
participation in determining
economic and political systems and
processes.
Supreme authority resides in the
people, subject to the principle of the
majority rule.
Expressed as social justice which is
viewed as equality of opportunities,
social, and responsible ownership,
distribution, and use of the means
and fruits of production and
exchange.
Expressed in the principle of national
sovereignty and defined as the
Filipino people’s exclusive right to
shape and structure their future and
destiny.
To liberate the workers and the
people from economic exploitation
and free the labor movement from
external control, within the context of
a Christian democratic outlook.
KMU
Closely associated with the national
democratic forces.
National democracy with a socialist
perspective.
Stresses that social equality will be
achieved if society’s wealth is equally
shared by all.
Viewed as nationalization of the
industries now controlled by foreign
capitalists; state control of the
economy, and control by the people
of state power.
Understood as state ownership and
control of the factors and means of
production and services, specially in
basic and vital industries.
Viewed as total dismantling of the
structures of foreign control and
exploitation—US military bases, US
MNCs; total control by the Filipino
people of economic and political
power.
To establish and defend national
democracy within the perspective of
socialism by struggling against
foreign monopoly capitalism and is
domestic allies.
 TABLE 9. Comparison of trade-union leadership
Profiles TUCP
Professionals, notably lawyers
Composition
Strongly associated with government
Association and politics
Many are holders of government
Relations w/ government positions; a few officials are holding
elective or appointive posts in
Congress
Favors supporting a political party
and candidates; participates in
Political stand electoral competition
Active and direct participation in
parliamentary politics
Tendency to support and follow
Stand on non-economic issues government positions
Aggressive and decisive; active in
Character shaping and initiating organizational
positions
High degree of centralization on non-
Styles purely economic issues, with
tendencies to decentralize on political
issues
FFW
Professionals
Strong association with the Catholic
Church, notably with the Jesuits
Strong association with government
Top key officers hold appointive posts
in government and Congress
Refrains from officially supporting a
political party or candidate, but does
not prohibit its officers from running
for office or campaigning
Non-partisan; issue-oriented
Ambivalent, incoherent, confusing
Passive and indecisive
High degree of centralization but with
strong monarchic tendencies
KMU
Trade unions
Strongly associated with the national-
democratic
Only one official holding a
government post
Alliance with revolutionary political
parties and national-democratic
movements
Tactical and dependent on objective
conditions
Marked tendency to toe the line of
the national-democratic forces
Aggressive and decisive; active in
initiating organizational positions
High degree of centralization but
utilizes the structure for consensus
making with strong oligarchic
tendencies
 TABLE 16. Membership Profile (Continued1)

Profiles TUCP FFW KMU

Membership participation
Degree of autonomy
Character
Stability
Leader-member relationship
Low degree of participation by
the rank-and-file members to the
activities of the center.
High degree of autonomy
enjoyed by federation affiliates
because of capability to program
and finance their own activities
even without any support from
the national center.
High degree of bureaucracy and
tendency towards oligarchy and
centralism.
Highly submissive and supportive.
Marked by periodic disaffiliations.
Business-like, client-person
relationship.
Very low degree of participation
by the members to the activities
of the federation.
High decree of local autonomy
relative to internal management,
but also high degree of
dependence by the weak unions
relative to basic services as
lawyering, research, negotiation,
education.
High degree of bureaucracy,
centralism, and tendency towards
oligarchy.
Passive and indifferent to
federation activities.
Marked by occasional factional
disaffiliations.
Largely based on personal
loyalties and personal
convenience as well as familial
and paternalistic.
Very high degree of membership
participation to the activities of
the center.
High degree of autonomy
enjoyed by federation affiliates,
but autonomy is exercised within
the framework of the plan
prepared by the national center.
Absence of bureaucracy but
possessing some degree of
centralism.
Highly aggressive, assertive and
militant; willing to undertake and
join non-traditional trade-union
action even if they are
confrontational and conflictive.
Marked by occasional
disaffiliations.
Largely based on ideological
considerations; professional.

1
Compiler’s Note: I could not find the portion this table continues from in the GDrive.
 APL Quick Info

What is APL?

• The Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) is a “national labor center”. Consistent with its belief in social movement unionism, APL has built
itself as a “multi-form center”, drawing into its fold various forms of labor organizations and not just trade unions.

• In the future, APL sees itself as a singular union structure consolidated along industry and geographical lines.

• APL was formally organized on November 1996 through a National Founding Congress.

• It is committed to the advancement of Social movement unionism – a strategy directed at recognizing, organizing and mobilizing all
types of workers and unions for engagements in different arenas of struggle.

• This strategy is not limited to “trade union” organizing and has been developed precisely to respond to new work arrangements where
employee-employer relationships do not exist or are not clear.

• Social movement unionism, then, seeks to protect the rights of all workers, not just the wage-earners. It is “social” because it does
not deal only with economic rights and political rights that trade unions usually deal with. Rather, social movement unionism seeks to
address even the “social costs” of oppressive economic and political systems.

• Social movement unionism recognizes the broadness of workers’ interests and the diversity and complexity of work arrangements. As such,
it is geared toward the struggle for workers’ rights in all aspects — economic, political and socio-cultural — and at all levels — local,
national, global. In short, the strategic objective of social movement unionism is nothing less than social transformation.