A season of starving stares Filipino workers in the eyes as minimum wage rates in all regions are stuck at 2008 levels despite the worsening economic crisis, according to labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno.

KMU said wages should supposedly be increased to help workers cope with the crisis, “yet the Arroyo regime has chosen to further bog down workers by implementing a wage freeze policy throughout the year, making our Christmas a much worse ‘Krisis-mas’ than last year.”

“What does the Arroyo government want workers to eat this Christmas with the year-round wage freeze? To eat dust? Our wages have remained the same for a year even as prices of commodities have climbed several times. Worse, thousands of workers have been laid off this year,” said KMU Chairperson Elmer “Bong” Labog.

Data from the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) reveals that current wage levels are exactly the same as last year. The last minimum wage hike was implemented in the National Capital Region (a measly P20) in May 2008, already a year and a half ago.

The same data also showed that five regions have negative wage differentials, which means that workers in those regions are earning less than the fixed minimum wage rates per region.

“It is simply deplorable for the Arroyo regime and businesses to mouth corporate losses everytime we demand a wage increase even as workers are actually the ones bearing the brunt of the crisis. Workers are actually the ones who are at the losing end, as rising prices continue to erode the real value of our wages,” Labog said.

According to Labog, existing Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) cover only around 227,000 workers, or a miniscule 0.6 percent of the total labor force at 38.9 million. “And even with this very limited bargaining of workers, most companies still turned down proposals for wage hike in CBAs, using the crisis as a worn-out excuse.”

“Even bonuses and benefits have been slashed by companies in the name of protecting and raising corporate profits. With this kind of situation, the kind of Christmas awaiting Filipino workers is a bleak and hungry Christmas,” he added.

KMU said the bulk of workers’ wages go to food expenditures. “Stagnant wages, however, mean less food for the family in the face of ever-rising prices of food items,” said Labog.

Citing the November inflation rate, annual inflation rate for food alone rose to 4.9 percent from 3.8 percent in October. Prices of fruits and vegetables posted a double-digit inflation rate of 13.7 percent.

KMU said the immediate passage of a P125-across-the-board wage hike is highly necessary to at least help workers survive the lengthy economic crunch.

“We have consistently called for a legislated wage hike, and yet the Arroyo regime responsed with a year-round wage freeze at all regions while businesses implemented wage cuts. This is simply cruelty and injustice to us workers who toil for nation’s economy,” said Labog. #