Unity Statement of the members of the Computer Professionals' Union
August 31, 2008
Despite the rapid advances in internet and communications technologies, the ICT sector in the Philippines lags behind its neighbouring countries. The sector is comprised of infrastructure and services that can accelerate production processes through the use of computers and computer networks, data processing devices and communications technologies. In the Philippines, the ICT sector is more focused on services, such as business process outsourcing, contact center operations and multimedia services.
Most of the companies that compete within the Philippine ICT sector are the same multinational companies that are also competing in the global market. As such, the development of ICT is dependent on foreign investments. Competition in ICT industry is intense. There are clear indications that the ICT sector is increasingly turning into the hands of a few companies which are mostly foreign-owned to the detriment of locally-owned companies that struggle to have a foothold in the sector.
With the advent of globalization, countries are pitted against each other to provide lower wages and to provide incentives to investors, to the detriment of their ICT workers welfare. ICT professionals and enthusiasts face narrowing labour markets making them vulnerable to exploitative conditions. Employee turnover in the industry is rapid while benefits are shrinking due to intense competition.
Furthermore, the rapid advances in ICT do not redound to benefits for the majority of the Filipino people who are mired in poverty. Faced with high prices for services and hardware, the full benefit of ICT is not enjoyed by our populace. It merely reflects the unequal political and economic conditions in our country.
Aware of such conditions, we, computer professionals seek to improve our situation and advance ICT to benefit the people.
Our efforts are linked with the struggle of the Filipino people to improve their general situation. Our projects are based on their needs; our training modules are for their benefit. They are our clients and our project managers: we shall advance and develop ICT for their welfare.
We seek to engage our members to share their capabilities and talents for the benefit of the majority of our people. We go beyond being members of our forums and mailing-lists. We learn from each other and from the people's rich experiences. We share our skills with the societal sectors that are most in need of these.
We are concerned over the worsening conditions and problems of our workplace, including cases of sexual harassment, discrimination and low pay. We are also concerned with the health and social impacts of changing work conditions, especially in contact centers and other situations that have night-shift schedules.
We shall work in areas that involve issues with regard to the freedom of information, privacy, free software advocacy and computer professionals' welfare. We seek to empower the Filipino people through the use of information and communications technologies.
In particular we shall engage in providing web services to people's organizations (Project People's Web), facilitate the use of serviceable hardware (Digital Resource Bureau), provide application and database services, organize FOSS trainings for organizations and schools, and help in improving computing literacy in our country. We shall be active on ICT-related concerns that have impact on grassroots communities.
We unite to advance information and communications technology for the people.
We are the Computer Professionals Union.
