Bulatlat - The Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine

This story was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 3, February 19-25, 2006

LABOR WATCH

Workers Wear Red Armbands, Rally for Wage Hike

With red armbands, militant workers belonging to the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU or May 1^st Movement) came face to face with the Manila Police District (MPD), as they marched Feb. 17 to Isetann Recto, demanding a P125 wage increase. Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Chairperson Elmer Labog said the red-colored cloth wrapped around their arms had long been their symbol of expression of “anger” at the government for ignoring their demands.

BY TRISTAM DE CASTRO

Bulatlat

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Chairperson Elmer Labog said the color red had long been their symbol of expression of “anger” at the government for ignoring their demands. “It’s a welcome development that the Magdalo officers have adopted the color red to air their disgust with the present regime,” he added.

Other militant groups such as Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay or Alliance of Urban Poor Organizations) and Anakpawis Partylist (Toiling Masses) participated in the rally and chanted “Dagdag na pasahod! Siyento bente singko! Across the board! Nationwide!” (P125 across-the-board wage increase, nationwide)

The workers protested against what they call as the “Tatlong Doble Pahirap” (Three Double Burdens). These are the issues of privatization, de-regulation, and the implementation of Charter Change. They also said that the increase in the rate of the Expanded Value-Added Tax (EVAT) from 10 to 12 percent, implemented last February 1, made things worse for poor families.

They decried that prices of basic commodities continue to soar. But the minimum wage per day is pegged at P275 ($5.30) for the National Capital Region, P180 ($3.47) at the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or ARMM, and P105 ($2.02) for sugarcane workers in Iloilo. They said these are just examples of the wide gap between actual wages and the family living wage of P613.20 ($11.83) for a family of six – the average Filipino family – based on December 2005 data from the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).

“Walang nangyaring pagbabago ukol sa karapatan ng mahihirap mula noong rehimeng Marcos” (Nothing has changed since the Marcos years in the way the rights of the poor are regarded), said Kadamay chairperson and Anakpawis vice chair Carmen Deunida, known as Nanay Mameng.

“Kung hindi lang din niya matutugunan ang mga hinaing namin sa lalong madaling panahon, bumaba na siya” (If she cannot grant our demands, she had better step down), she added. Bulatlat

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