EDITORIAL - Labor Day

Today, various job fairs are being held across the country as part of the country’s celebration of Labor Day. In a country where unemployment remains a major concern of the government, thousands are hopeful to get the opportunity to join the labor force.

Aside from job fairs, the government and private sector are also implementing programs aimed at improving the condition of the labor sector, especially on the need to enhance safety and protection of workers.

Yes, it cannot be denied that our workers play a crucial role in the country’s economic development. Therefore, the government and business sector should explore programs that benefit them.

It is unfortunate, however, that many of the country’s laborers have been neglected, deprived of the rights to receive appropriate wages and enjoy decent working conditions. For decades, the government has never been responsive to their needs and other demands for assistance that would uplift their plight.

That is why street protests and other mass demonstrations denouncing government inaction in addressing the laborers’ depressing situation have become an ordinary sight across the country during Labor Day celebrations.

Few days ago, a labor organization filed for a P700 increase in the daily minimum salary of workers in Metro Manila. Although it would be impossible for the government to grant the petition, the huge amount the group is seeking only validates the desperate need for the labor sector to have respectable wages.

We long for the time when those in the labor sector, especially the ordinary workers, can live a decent life so they no longer have to troop to the streets to stake a claim to what is rightfully for them.

And, yes, we long for the time when Labor Day celebrations are not about street rallies and protests anymore, but about giving honor and paying homage to a sector that is an important partner in nation-building.