Thousands of workers marched the streets of Metro Manila demanding a P100 increase in the minimum wage, an end to contractual work as a way to avoid paying benefits to regular employees and assistance for the poor as the nation observed Labor Day.
They also chided the government and lawmakers for focusing on amending the Constitution when they should be dealing with more urgent economic concerns.
“We endured the heat of marching under the sun because the burning issue of low wages and high prices is a priority concern,” said Rene Magtubo, national chairperson of the militant Partido Manggagawa (PM) and a city councilor in Marikina. “Chicha, not cha-cha,” he said, using the slang term for food and the shortened term for charter change.
The labor group also lambasted a newly drafted executive order (EO) creating an inter-agency committee on labor rights, saying it fell short of the recommendations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) high-level tripartite mission (HLTM) for the President to personally direct the committee and was crafted without a dialogue with workers and employers.
“Where is the President? The fact that President Bongbong Marcos is abroad today mirrors his absence in the inter-agency committee and reveals his utter disregard for improving the rights and welfare of workers,” Magtubo said.
Mr. Marcos is on an official visit to the United States.
Thousands of workers from various labor groups assembled at Blumentritt along Espana in Manila before marching towards Mendiola.
The main Labor Day mobilization in Manila was led by the coalition All Philippine Trade Unions which brings together the groups Nagkaisa, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP).
Similar rallies were held in the cities of Cebu, Bacolod, Davao, Iligan, General Santos, Cotabato and Tagum.
“Sahod, Trabaho, Karapatan” (Wages, Work and Justice) was the theme of the nationwide protests.
“We call for a P100 minimum wage hike to recover the lost purchasing power of workers. Also, we demand an end to endo and the return of regular employment as the norm. Finally, we ask the government to heed the ILO HLTM proposals on protecting labor rights in the country,” Magtubo said.
In Metro Cebu, PM assembled at the Plaza Independencia at 8:00 a.m. before marching to Metro Gaisano in Colon for the joint rally of the coalition Sugbuanong Mamumuo Nagkahiusa Alang sa Living Wage (SANAAL). Some 1,000 workers marched demanding a wage hike and regular jobs. The highlight of the protest was the destruction of a makeshift statue of Senator Robin Padilla by a giant hammer to symbolize the workers’ fight against cha-cha.
In Iloilo City, the coalition United Labor led the march of some 1,500 workers at 2:30 p.m. to the Capitol grounds. The unions at Pepsi, Coke, URC and Iloilo Doctors were among the participants together with a contingent from the Iloilo Grab Riders Union (IGRU). The IGRU is the first union established among Grab riders in the country.
In Bacolod, some 3,000 workers joined the United Labor of Negros rally at the public plaza. Sugar workers trooped to Bacolod City for the Labor Day protest of the groups PM, KMU, NACUSIP, BMP, CAILO, BUNYOG and BACOD. Unrest is brewing among sugar workers due to the early onset of tiempo muerto (dead season) as a result of the sugar crisis.
In Iligan, the Federation of Democratic Labor Organizations (FDLO) led the Labor Day march around the city, which ended at the city plaza. PM, Mindanow, and other civil society organizations joined the FDLO rally.
Meanwhile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada said the Senate committee on Labor, employment and human resources development, which he heads, will tackle the bills seeking to increase the minimum wage on May 10.
Among the measures that are expected to be tackled are the bill seeking to reform the system of increasing the minimum wage, the bill seeking to provide a P150 across-the-board wage increase and the bill amending the Wage Rationalization Act, which will impose penalties against employers who do not follow the daily wage increases.
“We will listen to the comments and inputs from the tripartite sectors: labor, employer, and government, and look forward to a mutually beneficial result for both workers and employers,” Estrada said.
In a television interview, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said it is high time to review the minimum wage in all regions, noting that the cost of living in the rural areas is now higher.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said 10 wage hikes are pending and under review by various regional tripartite wages and productivity boards.
Laguesma said there would be no wage hike announced during Labor Day.
President Marcos, who is out of the country, acknowledged the vital role of Filipino workers in the country’s economy in his Labor Day message.
The President stressed the need to provide Filipino workers with better opportunities, as well as improved living and social conditions.
“Our labor force is essential to the sustenance of a soaring economy and also in laying the groundwork for our important industries. That is why we strive to address the cares and concerns of our workers as well as provide them with better opportunities so that they are capable of their full potential and active participants in nation-building,” the President said in a statement.
Mr. Marcos called on the private sector to help the government promote good governance and labor reforms to ensure job sustainability, livelihood security, and economic productivity.
“If we all unite and work together with renewed hope, vigor, and enthusiasm in our respective fields, industries, and endeavors, I am certain that we can usher in a more equitable and prosperous future ahead,” he added.
Speaker Martin G. Romualdez acknowledged the sacrifices workers make for their families and the country.
“Our workers are the backbone not only of their families but of the economy and the nation. The economy would not be running if not for their tireless toil,” Romualdez said.
“This is the reason why we in the House of Representatives always make it a point to attend to their concerns. We are committed to continue working on measures that protect their rights, promote their welfare and preserve their jobs and incomes,” he said.
He said recently-enacted laws that aim to enhance economic growth and improve the investment climate in the country are geared toward job and income preservation.
These include amendments to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Law and Foreign Investments Act, which are intended to attract more foreign investments.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri renewed his commitment to push for legislation to protect and advance the interests of workers.
Zubiri said he joined all workers in fighting for decent benefits, living wages, and fair working conditions.
“This is especially crucial as rising costs of goods and utilities continue to hit our people’s pockets, to the point that even toiling with a full-time job is no longer enough to support their families’ needs,” he said.
The National Capital Region currently has the highest daily nominal wage rate, at Php570 (non-agriculture), while the lowest is at P316 (non-agriculture), for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region inMuslim Mindanao.
At the onset of 2023, he noted that the Philippines saw its highest inflation rate in 14 years, hitting 8.7 percent.
“We urgently need to address the growing gap between wages and expenses, which is why last March, I filed an across-the-board wage increase act.”
Zubiri’s Senate Bill No. 2002, or the Across-the-Board Wage Increase Act of 2023, seeks to raise wages in the private sector across all regions by P150.
“We must uplift our workers, and ensure that they get the compensation they deserve. Workers form the foundation of the entire business sector, and without them, our economy and country will fall apart. So let us give them their due. By providing a true living wage, we empower our workers to support not only their families and their communities, but also the country at large.”
In other developments:
* Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla extolled all Filipino workers who “help shape the country’s future.” He thanked every worker who has shown perseverance and effort to make the economy strong.
* The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development signed an agreement with the OFW party-list group for possible housing projects. Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and Rep. Marissa Magsino signed a memorandum of understanding to pave the way for a collaboration under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing. With Rey E. Requejo and Rio N. Araja
