PNoy's non-wage benefits hit

CEBU, Philippines -The Partido ng Manggagawa slammed the non-wage benefits announced by President Benigno Aquino III on Labor Day and also the job fairs that were conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment.

“On his first Labor Day, PNoy brings no good news for the workers, just a consuelo de bobo. Non-wage benefits should complement, not supplant a wage hike,” said Greg Janginon, president of PM-Cebu.

ALU-TUCP director for membership and services department Ferdinand Jumapao said that so far the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Region 7 has not yetscheduled any public hearing regarding their P100 across the board daily wage increase petition.

This year’s Labor Day celebration theme, “Matuwid na Daan sa Kaunlaran Para sa Lahat,” was marked with a nationwide Job and Livelihood Fair, in partnership with the private sector.

Here in Cebu, some 5,000 workers attended the labor unity rally of 12 groups including PM, PALEA, ALU-TUCP, Alliance of Progressive Labor, Makabayan, Super, IBM, NUBE, NFL, MKP and NUWHRAIN.

PM estimates that the cost of living for a family of six is around P1,000 a day.PM based its estimates on its own cost of living study last year and the inflation rate over the past year.

The group is pushing for the establishment of a National Wage Commission.

Janginon added that the this commission will be different from the wage boards in that its mandate is to fix wages based on the single criterion of cost of living.

He further said that despite the huge difference between the minimum wage and the cost of living, the said commission can bridge the gap by a host of mechanisms among which are direct wage increases, tax exemptions, price discounts and social security subsidies for workers.— (FREEMAN)