[Amid record hunger level] Workers renew call for significant wage hike

“Gutom na ang masa, makabuluhang dagdag-sahod, ngayon na! (The masses are going hungry, it’s time for a significant wage hike!)”

This was labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno’s statement today after the Social Weather Stations released a survey yesterday showing that one in five households in the country experienced having nothing to eat in the last three months, saying such a wage hike will give immediate relief to workers and poor people.

The 21.5% hunger incidence reported by the SWS is 7.5 points higher than the 13-year average of 14% and is the highest under the Aquino government. Only the 24% recorded in December 2009 under the previous government is higher than the most recent hunger level.

“This survey confirms what we have been monitoring among workers and poor people: that the Cost of Living Allowance granted by the Aquino government in various regions starting last May failed to provide immediate relief from poverty and hunger. Workers’ wages are too meager to help them counteract hunger,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

“It’s clear that the meager COLA granted in some regions is not enough for workers and poor people to cope with the rising prices of basic goods and services and the devastation caused by recent typhoons. The prices of petroleum products kept on increasing in recent months, pushing the prices of basic goods and services upward,” he added.

Significant wage hike

KMU has been calling on the government to approve a significant wage hike, one form of which is the P125 across-the-board wage hike which House Bill 375 filed by Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano seeks to legislate.

“Widespread hunger makes a significant wage hike even more urgent. The urban poor, whose livelihoods depend on workers’ purchasing power, also stands to benefit from a significant wage hike,” Labog said.

“We are calling on the country’s legislators to prioritize the P125 Wage Hike Bill. We are calling on Pres. Aquino to make this bill one of his government’s top priorities,” he added.

Highest hunger in Metro

The labor center highlighted the fact that moderate and severe hunger both rose considerably in Metro Manila, where the minimum wage of P404 is highest among the country’s regions. Moderate hunger rose by 5.4 points and severe hunger by 4.6 points in Metro Manila.

“The considerable increase in hunger incidence in Metro Manila is crucial, because the minimum wage is highest here and the Aquino government granted the highest COLA here. That’s a clear proof that workers are having a hard time making ends meet with the very small minimum wage and the meager COLA,” Labog said.

“We vow to carry on and even intensify with our campaign for a significant wage hike in the coming weeks. More stomachs shouting for food will definitely translate into more workers and poor people marching in the streets and calling for a significant wage hike,” he said.