Vigil, protests scheduled at Senate

Incumbent solons must conclude legislated wage hike proposal before full engagement in electoral activities

As local political parties start to engage heavily in face-off of personalities and candidates for the upcoming Senatorial elections, workers challenged both Lower and Upper Houses of Congress to finalize the across-the-board, legislated wage hike proposal before the 13th Congress concludes this month.

The Congress already approved HB 345 or the P125 across-the-board increase in P45-P40-P40 installments for three years while the Senate is contemplating on the P100 one time pay hike. "As broad public opinion favoring wage hikes continue to bolster; reinforced with our vigorous lobbying work, Senate is mostly likely to adopt the House Bill 345 that will give worker a much-needed legislated pay hike," said KMU Executive Vice President Lito Ustarez

"We ask Senators not to give in to pressure from the business sector and Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) who firmly rejects any substantial wage adjustment. We challenge all 23 Senators to decide based on their conscience and give affirmative votes for the legislated wage hike bill. They owe this to their constituents. Workers know who in the Senate are working hard and who are merely there to fill the posts," the labor leader said.

KMU said they will be watching closely on how the Senate will vote on the wage bill. "Re-election candidates must know how to achieve the support of workers. Any wrong decision on the wage hike bill will be politically costly for re-election candidates in the Senate. A carry over of the wage hike bill to the 14th Congress is unacceptable to us. The final convening of Senate is crucial to the fate of the legislated wage hike."

Ustarez said that DoLE and Malacanang are again using the wage boards to undermine the legislated wage hike demand. Wage boards in regions MIMAROPA, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao expressed supreme opposition to the legislated wage hike. "Existing labor laws mandate that only a single wage adjustment is allowed every year. The government is using this authority to block efforts for an across-the-board wage adjustment. With its shameful track record, wage boards are likely to approve diminutive region-based pay hikes. A few pesos pay hike is far from enough to cover the sky-high cost of living."

To watch closely on how the Senate will decide on the issue, workers from KMU will vigil outside the Senate building starting tomorrow night. "We will camp outside Senate and wait for the opening of the session. On January 22, thousands of workers will gather at the Senate to show the labor sector's determination to win in this lingering battle for wage hikes."