juntos en accion - together in action - agir ensemble

Ricky, 27 years, Philippines
I am Ricky Ruales, 27 years of age, single and a native of Labo Camarines Norte. I was a factory worker in the past, working for Sackline Industries Incorporated, but now I am a pedicab driver in Lawang Bato Valenzuela City and at the same time a member of Lawang Bato Mulawinan Ulingan Pedicab & Drivers Association (LMUPODA) Inc. This is a legitimate association registered to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). I am two years now in my work as Pedicab driver and I can say it is really hard and difficult. I start working at 5:30 in the morning and finish at 10:00 in the night. My work is very tiring due to long hours of work and my energy is very much exhausted. Because of this, I have no time with my family and for myself.
What saddens me most is that we have no protection in our work. I am a shy type of person but when YCW involved me in their group and action/activities, it started to change me. Since then I have developed a good relationship with my co-pedicab drivers. Through the formation and training I have attended in the YCW, I am able to understand the basic workers rights and also to the rights of us as informal workers. I am motivated to join in the mass action and many other activities of YCW. With the help and guidance of YCW we have registered our Pedicab Association to the SEC and then slowly this is being recognized in Barangay. I am now the coordinator of the YCW group of Pedicab drivers and one of my responsibilities that the movement entrusted to me is to build up new contacts. Because of the continuous follow-up of YCW, I started to dream like I had not before. I dream of someday, together with the forces of the Pedicab drivers and with other Informal sector… to have Social Protection (protection at work, protection of income, protection in social services such as free access to health and medication, education and housing) and enough programs to alleviate our poverty by easy access to lending with low interest.