Non-wage incentives are only palliatives; workers to further press necessity of legislated wage hikes

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno said the nationwide protests yesterday were resoundingly successful as thousands of workers and people marched to the streets to once again highlight the national need for immediate economic relief through wage hikes. But the group expressed dismay over the government's Labor Day offering which consist of non-wage packages worth P40 billion.

"It is unjust and gravely wrong to replace actual wage hikes with these incentives. Malayong tugon sa aming panawagan ang Labor Day Package ni Gloria. We could have been happy with the government's Labor Day offering if Arroyo certified as urgent the legislation of a national wage increase. But knowing the government's stance on wage hikes and its existing policy to freeze wages, we're gearing for another round of nationwide protests, lobby works and campaign for the P125 across-the-board, across-the-country increase in minimum wages for all private sector workers," said KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog.

The P40 billion package consist of housing loans, scholarships, social insurances, health cards and funding for commissaries. The bulk of the package includes the standardization of salaries of government employees and condoning of surcharges and penalties for GSIS and SSS members.

Labog expressed gratitude to all workers and other sectors that joined the rallies in Manila and other provinces yesterday. "Filipino workers are united in demanding for an actual wage increase and Malacanang fell short in responding to this necessity as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented yet another non-wage package for workers."

The labor leader said that while the Arroyo government is hard pressed against giving out any wage hike for laborers, it is very lenient towards big oil companies' excessive oil price hikes. "While the government deprives workers with wage hikes, it condones the weekly oil price hikes imposed by the Big Three and new oil players. How can the government expect workers to cope with the high cost of petroleum and its domino effect on prices of other basic goods and services," the labor leader asked.

KMU said they will all the more press for the P125 wage hike bill filed at Congress as they prepare for more protests that will likely culminate in a nationwide transport strike against oil price hike and other economic issues of workers and jeepney drivers this month.