MANILA, Philippines – Binatikos ni Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri nitong Huwebes, Mayo 9 si Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, kasabay ng pagsasabing ito ay “slowly becoming to be one of the more unpopular” secretaries ng Department of Labor (DOLE).
“I’m saddened and shocked to hear the statement of the Secretary of Labor in objecting to higher wages for the labor sector by rejecting our reasonable Minimum Wage hike bill that would increase by a modest P100 across the board for all our minimum wage earners in the country,” saad sa pahayag ni Zubiri.
Ang tugon niya ay may kaugnayan sa iniulat na pagtutol ni Laguesma sa panukalang across-the-board legislated wage hike para sa mga manggagawa sa buong bansa.
Si Zubiri ang nagpanukala ng hakbang na dagdagan ng P150 ang kada araw sa sahod ng mga empleyado na kalaunan ay pumayag na ibaba na lamang ito sa P100.
Inaprubahan ng Senado noong Marso ang panukalang P100 daily wage hike.
Ayon kay Zubiri, nauna nang ipinag-utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na suriin ang workers’ minimum wage na nagpakita lamang na si Laguesma, “has failed to protect workers interests and would rather speak for the interest of the business sector…”
“For the President to say that the regional wage boards should be activated again when they recently came out with those measly increases show that the wage boards are ineffective in dealing with the crisis that laborers are facing today with high inflation and food costs,” sinabi pa ni Zubiri.
“It should be the Secretary that should lead the way on this and not the other way around,” dagdag ng senador.
“He is slowly becoming to be one of the more unpopular Labor Secretaries the Department has had if he keeps up what he is doing.”
Sa halip na maging labor secretary, dapat na lamang na ilagay si Laguesma bilang Secretary ng Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“Unfortunately for him, the DTI is already being ably handled by its Secretary,” ani Zubiri.
Si Secretary Alfredo Pascual ang namumuno sa DTI. RNT/JGC
