CEBU, Philippines — Militant labor group AMA-SUGBO-KMU welcomes the Senate Bill 2534, which seeks a P100 increase in the daily minimum wage of private sector workers in the country.
“Although this is far from the demands of the workers for a living wage here in Central Visayas that needed P1,259 every day to live a decent life with his family of 5,” said AMA SUGBO KMU chairman Jaime Paglinawan.
Paglinawan belied a statement from Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma that a legislated wage increase would also result in the increase of prices of goods and services.
“It is not true and a big lie that the increase in wages is the reason for the increase in the prices of goods and services. The genuine truth is that the capitalists do not want to reduce their super profits, if the workers get a wage increase,” said Paglinawan.
He said that capitalists would immediately increase the prices of basic goods and services so they can recover the profit lost from wage increase. Paglinawan reminded Laguesma and Luis Jr. of the social justice and human rights provision of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that, “the state must provide full protection to local and overseas labor, whether organized or unorganized, and that they shall be entitled to security of tenure, humane working conditions, and living wages.”
He said that this is what Laguesma and Luis should focus on, that the workers will get their rights.
According to Paglinawan, had the officials sitting in Malacanang, including the legislators and the labor department, implemented the living wage it would not have been difficult for the workers today. — (FREEMAN)