MANILA, Philippines – Hindi na dapat pa patagalin ng Kamara ang pagpasa ng panukalang P150 na dagdag sa minimum wage ng mga empleyado sa pribadong sektor.
Ito ang pahayag ng Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) nitong Martes, Mayo 7, isang araw bago ang pagbabalik ng deliberasyon ng House labor panel sa wage hike bills.
“As workers grow restless with ENDO (end of contract) jobs [every six months] and starvation wages, the TUCP trusts that in the hearing of the House Committee on Labor and Employment chaired by Representative Fidel Nograles on Wednesday, May 8th, the House of Representatives as the House of the People will say to the working class of this nation: You demanded a raise. You deserve a raise. And we will give you the long-overdue and much-deserved P150 legislated wage hike,” sinabi ng TUCP.
”Instead of the Labor Secretary’s (Bienvenido Laguesma) empty assurances of wage hikes that will actually only perpetuate ‘barya-baryang minimum,’ the Congress should stop dragging its foot and walk the talk: Taas sahod, isabatas sa Bagong Pilipinas,” dagdag niya.
Bukas naman sa TUCP ang kautusan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa regional wage boards na suriin ang wage rates sa bansa kasabay ng mataas na inflation.
”The President’s marching orders, chaired by no less than the Labor Secretary, manifest that he has been remiss in duty in upholding every Filipino worker’s right to a living wage estimated by the National Wages and Productivity Commission itself at P917 way back in 2008. Two years into the Marcos administration, the Secretary failed to facilitate any labor dialogue with the President despite the most pressing issues of ILO (International Labor Organization) findings and recommendations on the state of labor rights in the country,” saad ng TUCP.
“If we keep on believing all the smooth talk and no concrete action of the Labor Secretary, not only will workers get another token increase from the regional wage boards, but the nation will only see mere investment pledges on paper,” dagdag pa nito.
Ang TUCP ay may nakaupong House member, ito ay si Deputy Speaker Raymond Mendoza.
Samantala, sinabi ng isa sa may-akda ng legislated wage hike na si Cavite lawmaker Jolo Revilla, na mayroong 77 House members ang sumusuporta sa P150 legislated wage hike.
Noong Pebrero ay inaprubahan ng Senado ang P100 legislated wage hike para sa pribadong sektor. RNT/JGC
