Workers led by militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno gathered near the residence of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III on Times Street to call on the president-elect to immediately address workers’ demand for a legislated P125 across-the-board wage hike nationwide. The group brought huge yellow ribbons bearing the calls "P125 wage increase" and "Prosecute Gloria Arroyo" to register their demands to the country's new leader.
“Apart from other commitments to the people that he may utter in his inauguration speech, workers want President Aquino to categorically mention a significant legislated wage increase. We had enough of Arroyo’s nine years of stagnant wages and rising prices,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.
“Even a general promise that he is amenable to a legislated and substantial wage increase within the first year of his administration would be good enough news for the Filipino workers and people. As far as speeches go, his predecessor has exhausted our patience with promises of Paradise while giving us Hell,” Labog added.
KMU said workers nationwide will intensify their campaign to press for the approval of the long-overdue P125 wage hike.
The group added that the president-elect should at least balance his dialogues with big business groups and foreign chambers of commerce with giving workers’ demands a hearing.
“The president-elect has been talking continuously with big business. He will have a warped sense of the situation of the labor sector if he does not balance that with dialogues with genuine representatives of workers. He should also give us a hearing. That would set him apart from his predecessor who is one-sidedly pro-business and anti-worker,” said Labog.
Labog noted that Makati Business Club president Alberto Lim and Ayala Corp. executive Jose Rene Almendras, both of whom are averse to wage hikes, could be included in Aquino’s Cabinet.
“The members of President Aquino’s transition team, as well as many among those being rumored as being eyed for his cabinet, are all from the economic and political elites of the country. He himself is a member of that elite. He should exert more effort to find out and understand our situation and our calls,” he added.
Labog also said that a legislated and significant wage increase is just one item in the labor sector’s agenda that it wants the president to heed.
“Aside from wages, we urge President Aquino to heed the workers’ call for the reversal of contractualization policies and the protection of labor rights.
“More than four million Filipinos stand to welcome the Aquino administration without any job. Justice has yet to be attained for 98 trade-union leaders who were killed since 2001. All these form part of Arroyo’s ugly legacy for labor which Aquino should immediately reverse,” Labog said.
