‘50,000 NRC workers won’t get pay hike’

More than 50,000 workers in the National Capital Region will not receive the P30 emergency cost of living allowance (COLA) as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) approved the exemption of more than 500 establishments, the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said.

KMU criticized business owners who declared incapacity to grant even the measly P30 COLA for workers and labeled them as inhuman and selfish.

"The government and big businesses are using the plight of small, medium and micro enterprises against the workers demand for higher wages. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) continue to go bankrupt and eventually face closure because of rigid competition with foreign businesses, high interest rates imposed by banks and other reasons rather than workers’ demand for higher wages," said Sammy Malunes, KMU spokesperson.

Malunes also denied President Arroyo’s statement saying that workers’ constant insistence for a P125 wage hike would cause the collapse of the government.

He said the government was being "dreadfully anti-labor to maliciously accuse workers of trying to cause the collapse of the system without really admitting that the President’s inaction towards the people’s urgent demands will definitely hasten her isolation from the people."

Meanwhile, the KMU criticized the Manila Water Corp. in its plan to increase its water rates by as much a 32 percent per cubic meter starting next month.

They said it is unjust to make consumers and the general public shoulder the foreign exchange losses incurred by Manila Water Co.

Malunes said that this condition of never-ending rate hikes imposed by strategic public utility corporations is brought about by the government’s constant promotion of privatization (due to) globalization. – Sandy Araneta