Workers press wage hike anew

Members of the militant Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) party-list group ushered in the Chinese New Year yesterday with a call for a P125 legislated daily wage increase.

The group went around the Binondo district in Manila with effigies of pigs written with "Kung Hei Fat Choi. Give the workers a Happy New Year, P125 wage hike now."

"It is now the Year of the Pig, signifying the year that the workers would want to buy pork from the P125 wage increase," PM spokesman Yuen Abana said.

The group complained the current wages received by workers are not enough to cope with the skyrocketing standard of living in the country.

"We marched into the heartland of the Chinese capitalists to touch base with employees and workers that make Binondo function," Abana said.

He said workers in companies without unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements will also benefit from the proposed wage adjustments.

Abana said PM is now preparing for the two-day special session of Congress and take the opportunity to push for the approval of House Bill 345 proposing the P125 wage hike.

Abana warned lawmakers not to ignore their call to approve the wage bill or face the consequences "of a payback" in the elections.

Congress has passed the P125 daily wage hike bill amid criticisms from businessmen and employers.

The Labor Department and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) also warned against granting the increase, citing its adverse effect on the economy.

Apparently bowing to pressure from the business community, the House of Representatives retrieved the bill back for "review" of its provisions. – Sheila Crisostomo