AFW is guided by the famous mantra “Organising Can Move Mountains”. And indeed, what seemed a daunting challenge was overcome through organising at the Naga Imaging Center Cooperative Doctors Hospital (NICC), a tertiary hospital in Bicol Region, 378 kilometres away from Metro Manila. Here the AFW won the certification election that means they are the Sole and Exclusive Bargaining Agent of all workers in the hospital. 

Supported by Public Services International (PSI), the AFW started organising in NICC Doctors Hospital after we received a referral from an active member from that region. We learnt that a few workers in one part of the hospital had tried to unionise but hadn’t been able to formally form a union. We met with the workers and   agreed that the task ahead of us was to organise the entire hospital and win a vote to formally create a union. 

 With the workers, the AFW drafted a plan of action to unionise at least 80% of the workers to make sure we would win the vote. The plan included:   

1. Capacity Building for existing members and officers on basic rights of workers including the right to freedom of association as well as the role of a trade union in securing and protecting these rights.

2. How to effectively organise workers towards a strong and powerful union. We made a plan to identify organic leaders who can lead and influence workers at the workplace and formed organising committees.  

3. We started charting the workplace and had the organic leaders keep the chart updated.

4. We trained the workers on the legal processes that need to be followed to win the certificate of election. 

5. The workers were also trained on the use of social media platforms as tools for campaigns as well as for effective communication in situations where remote coordination is required.

6. Finally, we developed our union election strategy and made sure there wouldn’t be an effective anti-union campaign against us.

There were many meetings and procedures to adhere to and in a country where it can still be dangerous to unionise, we had to take carefully planned steps to make sure the workers were unified and comfortable with the campaign.  

On 30th August 2024, the Election was held among the rank-and-file workers at the vicinity of the hospital. The result was overwhelming. The “Yes to Union” vote won 263 votes against 14 No votes. That meant 95% of all workers voted to unionise the hospital. It was a joyous day following a peaceful election process.  

The next step for AFW is to support the local leadership to develop their log of claims and enter into collective bargaining. AFW President Rene Capito and Executive Vice President, Ferdie Gan, agreed that this win is inspiring for the others. Ferdie Gan further said that “With such a strong show of solidarity, we are positive that we will win a collective agreement soon. The success of this vote is already inspiring other workers to build unions within their hospitals”. And Rene Capito added that “with the ongoing support of PSI, AFW will continue to grow and deliver more power to health workers across the Philippines”. 

P.S.: AFW has been participating in PSI’s health organising programme in the Asia Pacific region. The PSI regional office is supporting a number of health affiliates to build the organising skills of young women organisers. The young women organisers have developed organising strategies targeting ununionised and often precarious women workers.