Thousands of workers from both the private and public sectors will stage rallies in different parts of the country on Labor Day to call for better working conditions, wage hike, and greater labor rights.
May 1 is celebrated globally as a day dedicated to honor the rights of workers. This regular public holiday provides an opportunity for individuals to voice their economic grievances and political demands, highlighting the ongoing struggles and aspirations of the labor force.
The events serve as a platform for collective action and solidarity among workers, advocating for fair treatment, better working conditions, and social justice.
Labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) will call on the government to certify as urgent the P200 wage hike bill pending before Congress to address the worsening hunger and poverty in the country.
“Offering cheap rice is not enough, as Malacañang seems to think. (The) P200 wage hike plus P20 subsidized rice are initial steps to alleviate the conditions of poor and hungry Filipinos,” PM secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda said.
“We ask President Bongbong Marcos to certify as urgent the pending P200 salary increase bill in Congress,” she added.
In Manila, hundreds of workers from various labor groups will assemble along various points in España then march at 7:00 am to Mendiola for a joint program. PM and allied groups will assemble at Petron Blumentritt at 6:30 am.
In Cebu, various labor groups will converge at Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City at 9:00 am. Sugar farm workers and allied groups in Bacolod, meanwhile, will hold an indoor assembly in the morning. In the afternoon, they will assemble at Rizal Elementary School then march to Bacolod Plaza afternoon:
In Iloilo, the coalition United Labor will hold a program at 1:00 pm in front of UP Visayas then march to the Provincial Capitol for a joint program. Unions in Iligan will hold a rally in the morning at the plaza with the city’s tripartite industrial peace council.
Miranda insisted that “Filipino workers are amplifying their demands for higher wages, regular employment, and accessible public services amid worsening economic conditions.”
“Recent surveys reveal the deepening crisis: over one in four Filipino families experience involuntary hunger, the highest rate since the pandemic, while more than half consider themselves poor—the worst in 21 years,” she said.
Meanwhile, thousands of workers from various Philippine trade union centers, labor federations, and workers’ organizations spearheaded by the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA!), and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) will march together in solidarity to Mendiola under the banner of the National Wage Coalition to send a strong message to press for the P200 wage hike.