Workers’ unions of the Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) have called on Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez to issue a public apology after he chided a station manager upon seeing the ‘dirty’ and ‘neglected’ facilities at the Baclaran station of the Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1).
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the National Federation of Labor Chapter 001-LRMC Supervisory Union and National Federation of Labor Chapter 003-Light Rail Manila Corporation Rank And File Union said that while they recognize and agree with Lopez’s concern for the welfare of LRT-1 passengers and the development of transportation facilities, they emphasized that ‘it is never fair for an ordinary employee to be blamed for problems that are clearly beyond her control.’
‘No government official has the right to publicly shame, insult, or yell at a worker. This type of public reprimand not only demoralizes workers but also shows haste and lack of due process,’ the unions said in Filipino.
‘To acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez, issue a public apology to the affected workers and all railway employees, who were deeply hurt by your disrespectful and blameworthy statements.’
According to the unions, the deficiency in the facility is a systemic issue that should be addressed not by the employee but by the management and the government.
The groups likewise said that if the acting chief of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) truly wanted accountability, he should uphold it through investigation, coordination, and dialogue with the unions and the management, and ‘not through public shaming.’
‘This kind of behavior is unbecoming of a government official. Such ‘PR stunts’ that embarrass employees will never be a measure of concern or leadership,’ the unions stressed.
Lopez has yet to respond to the unions’ statement as of posting time.
On Tuesday, the DOTr released videos on its official Facebook page regarding the inspection of Lopez at the LRT-1 Baclaran station, where he questioned the station manager over the dirty facilities and lack of cleaning personnel.
Lopez likewise flagged the insufficient number of walkways for passengers, as most of them had been closed off, as well as the slow construction of a passageway going up and down the station.