Nagkaisa calls on workers to up the pressure on pending wage hike bills in Congress

 

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition on Wednesday urged workers to keep up the pressure on both the Labor Committee and their respective district representatives, demanding swift action on the long-pending P150 wage hike bill before Congress adjourns sine die next week in preparation for the 2025 national and local elections.

 

The group issued the call as it welcomes the commitment made by House Speaker Martin Romualdez in a meeting with labor leaders to act on the pending wage hike bills.

 

Affirmatively the labor committee has calendared a public hearing on Thursday, January 30, to wrap up its deliberations on the wage hike proposals.

 

Nagkaisa said the P150 wage hike bill has been stalled in the Labor Committee since March 2024, while wage orders from regional boards remain insufficient against the ever-increasing cost of living.

 

The coalition stressed the urgency of the situation, urging Congress and Malacañang not to delay further action. “We cannot afford to wait any longer. With every passing day, the value of our wages continues to diminish as inflation continues to rise,” the statement said.

 

With less than a week left in the 19th Congress’ session before the long election break, labor groups remain hopeful that the wage hike bill may still beat the red light.

PRESS RELEASE

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition

29 January 2025

 

Season of discontent as unions file notices of strike over CBA deadlocks

 

An increasing number of unions are filing notices of strike over deadlocks with management over negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). “This is a season of discontent as workers fight for increases in wages and benefits against companies which are acting like Scrooges. The recent wage orders in different regions do not impact unionized workers who earn more than the minimum wage,” stated Judy Miranda, secretary general of Partido Manggagawa (PM).

 

A case in point is Union Motor Corporation in Otis, Manila, a dealer of Mitsubishi cars. The union filed a notice of strike over deadlock in CBA talks last November 12. Union members also voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike on November 22. Cyrus Salamon, president of the Union Motor Sales Corporation Employees Association, explained that “Since November 28, we are negotiating with management under the auspices of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board. Management has finally offered a counter proposal, so we are hopeful for an agreement that is acceptable to union members. Still, the notice of strike remains as we continue to fight for our just demands.”

 

Miranda bared that aside from Union Motor, the faculty union of a big university in the Visayas also has a pending notice of strike due to a CBA deadlock. She added that the dispute at the logistic company J&T Express was also on the brink of a strike but was recently averted through a timely agreement. “Last month, the provincial bus company Mark Eve’s Transport was hit by a strike over refusal of management to bargain with the union. The strike ended with management’s recognition of the union and an offer for the CBA. All these disputes reveal seething labor unrest over employers’ refusal to share with their workers the fruits of production,” Miranda elaborated.

 

Salamon clarified that the union is asking for improvements in the salary, rice subsidy, retirement pay and signing bonus. “Our demands are realistic and based upon the company’s financial capability,” he insisted.

 

Miranda said that a union and management of a tobacco factory is also having CBA talks and while talks have not reached a deadlock, the two sides are still far apart in terms of the union proposal and management counterproposal. “Again, economic demands by workers for improved wages and benefits mirror the difficulties faced by workers due to the high cost of living. Capitalists can easily afford these worker demands as labor productivity has increased by more than 50% over the last two decades while real wages have remained stagnant. In other words, the economic pie has become bigger, but the slice received by workers has remained the same,” she expounded.

 

PM and the Nagkaisa labor coalition are pushing for a P150 legislated wage hike as one pathway for workers to recover the lost purchasing power of their salaries. This was one of the main demands in the recent Bonifacio Day mobilizations across the country. 

End endo jobs and political dynasties—workers’ Christmas wishes

 

In the Bonifacio Day rally yesterday across the country, workers aired their grievances as well as holiday wishes. “All we want for Christmas are an end to endo jobs and political dynasties, P150 wage hike and the enactment of the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP) bill,” demanded Judy Miranda, secretary general of the militant group Partido Manggagawa (PM).

 

Amid intense political infighting between the camps of President Bong Bong Marcos Jr. and Vice Sara Duterte, PM stated that workers choose no sides and will not join any “fake people power.” “The House of Labor does not support either the House of Polvoron or House of Fentanyl, both of which are merely interested in retaining political power for its own sake. In contrast, the House of Labor demands social justice and social change,” explained Miranda.

 

Members of PM joined the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition mobilization that assembled in front of Ramon Magsaysay High School in Espana, Manila this morning. The workers then marched to Mendiola at about 9 AM for a program that lasted until 12 noon.

 

PM also held rallies in Cebu City and Bacolod City. In Cebu, PM members marched around the city and held a program at Metro Gaisano in Colon St. In Bacolod, farm workers and women’s groups affiliated to PM launched an indoor gathering and later a march to the public plaza.

 

The nationwide commemoration of Bonifacio Day by PM and Nagkaisa raised the call for ending endo jobs, low wages, political dynasties and teenage pregnancy. “The dominance of political dynasties is a key factor in the mass poverty and economic underdevelopment of the country. In the coming 2025 elections, we see the perverse evolution of fat dynasties into obese ones and the almost total capture of the partylist system—which was meant for representation by workers and other marginalized sectors—by power-hungry trapos. I-endo ang dynasties ng mga trapo hindi ang trabaho!” asserted Miranda.

 

She added that “If Bonifacio were alive today, he would lead the Katipunan in a fight to end political dynasties as a pathway for true independence and real development.” Miranda pointed to stark contrast between the inaction of the House of Representatives on the P150 wage hike bill and its fixation on Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war and Sara Duterte’s confidential funds. “Of course, we want Digong to be held accountable for the murder of alleged drug users and Inday Sara for her plunder of people’s money. But we know that Congress is motivated by factional infighting not good governance. And that is why Congress is deadma to proposed reforms favorable to workers,” Miranda elaborated.

 

Other demands highlighted by PM in the Bonifacio Day commemoration is the passage of the PAP bill, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives. “We are calling on the Senate to pass its version of the PAP bill so that the youth can enjoy the holidays and not be burdened by teenage pregnancy,” Miranda concluded. ###

 

Photos of the Bonifacio Day rally can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa

Workers commemorate Bonifacio Day with call to “endo” political dynasties

Amid intense political infighting between the camps of President Bong Bong Marcos Jr. and Vice Sara Duterte, the militant group Partido Manggagawa (PM) stated that workers choose no sides and will not join any “fake people power.” “The House of Labor does not support either the House of Polvoron or House of Fentanyl, both of which are merely interested in retaining political power for its own sake. In contrast, the House of Labor demands social justice and social change,” explained Judy Miranda, PM secretary general.

 

Members of PM joined the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition mobilization that assembled in front of Ramon Magsaysay High School in Espana, Manila this morning. The workers then marched to Mendiola at about 9 AM for a program that lasted until 12 noon.

 

PM also held rallies in Cebu City and Bacolod City. In Cebu, PM members marched around the city and held a program at Metro Gaisano in Colon St. In Bacolod, farm workers and women’s groups affiliated to PM launched an indoor gathering and later a march to the public plaza.

 

The nationwide commemoration of Bonifacio Day by PM and Nagkaisa raised the call for ending endo jobs, low wages and political dynasties. “The dominance of political dynasties is a key factor in the mass poverty and economic underdevelopment of the country. In the coming 2025 elections, we see the perverse evolution of fat dynasties into obese ones and the almost total capture of the partylist system—which was meant for representation by workers and other marginalized sectors—by power-hungry trapos. I-endo ang dynasties ng mga trapo hindi ang trabaho!” asserted Miranda.

 

She added that “If Bonifacio were alive today, he would lead the Katipunan in a fight to end political dynasties as a pathway for true independence and real development.” Miranda pointed to stark contrast between the inaction of the House of Representatives on the P150 wage hike bill and its fixation on Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war and Sara Duterte’s confidential funds. “Of course, we want Digong to be held accountable for the murder of alleged drug users and Inday Sara for her plunder of people’s money. But we know that Congress is motivated by factional infighting not good governance. And that is why Congress is deadma to proposed reforms favorable to workers,” Miranda elaborated.

 

Other demands highlighted by PM in the Bonifacio Day commemoration are Palestine solidarity and climate justice. “Stop the genocide in Palestine and arrest Banjamin Netanyahu. Robust not token funding by the Global North for climate mitigation and adaptation in the Global South which is bearing the brunt of climate change. These are our Christmas wishes,” Miranda concluded. ###

Workers to march on Bonifacio Day to press for wage hike, end to endo and political dynasties

 

Members of the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition will stage a protest march from España to Mendiola on Bonifacio Day, November 30, to demand government action on pressing labor issues. The coalition is calling for:

 

- A legislated wage hike of ₱150 or more and the abolition of provincial rates to help workers cope with inflation and the intensifying cost of living crisis.

- The abolition of endo (contractualization) in both private and public sectors.

- An end to violence against women as part of broader reforms for social justice.

 

The protest highlights frustrations over the lack of government attention to labor’s pressing issues. Despite the urgency of a wage hike, the Labor Committee in Congress has stopped deliberating on the matter since May. Senators on their part has passed the ₱100 wage hike bill in February.

 

In contrast, the Quadcom which was organized only in August by Speaker Romualdez has been conducting marathon hearings to investigate the Dutertes’ deadly war on drugs and illegal use of confidential funds.

 

Neglect of labor issues

 

While exacting accountability from the past administration is a good agenda to pursue, labor leaders insisted that sidelining key labor reforms, such as legislating wage hike and ending the scourge of labor contractualization, is perpetuating a state of national calamity. They pointed to the lack of leadership from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, noting that their action could push forward legislation to address workers’ demands.

 

"Workers are tired of being shortchanged by regional wage boards while Congress and Malacañang remain silent on their struggles," the coalition said.

 

Labor and calamities

 

The coalition also emphasized the compounding effects of recent typhoons, which have devastated communities across the country. Many workers, already struggling with low wages, are unprepared to recover from these disasters.

 

"This situation reflects decades of government neglect and the self-serving priorities of political dynasties,” echoing Bonifacio's belief that there can be no ‘kaginhawahan’ without ‘kalayaan’ from this kind of rule. Nagkaisa said this also includes freedom of women from violence and exploitation.

 

End political dynasties

 

The coalition argued that both the blending and warring political dynasties are importunate barrier to genuine progress for Filipino workers. "These dynasties are a calamity in themselves. Ang dynasty ang dapat i-endo hindi ang manggagawang Pilipino," the group concluded.

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition

27 November 2024

Grupo, tinuligsa ang bagong wage orders na nagpapalalim ng “poverty wages”

Photo from Philstar

Tinuligsa ng grupong Partido Manggagawa (PM) ang wage boards ng Rehiyon 2, 3, at 12 sa “pagpapatuloy ng cheap labor policy” dahil ang kanilang mga minimum wage order ay malayo sa mga hinihingi ng mga manggagawa na P150 dagdag sahod upang maibalik ang kanilang nawalang purchasing power.

 “Ang mga bagong minimum wage ay napakababa para sa pantawid ng mga pormal na manggagawa at kanilang pamilya. Ang trabaho ay hanapbuhay, ibig sabihin, ang layunin ng pagtatrabaho ay upang kumita ng sapat para sa isang disenteng buhay. Sa halip, ang sistema ng wage regionalization ay lumilikha ng isang hukbo ng mga nagtatrabahong mahihirap or ‘working poor,’” sabi ni Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general ng PM.

Dagdag pa niya, “Nagtatrabaho ang mga tao ngunit nananatiling mahirap. Kung ibabatay sa kalkulasyon na 26 na araw na trabaho kada buwan (kahit na sinasabi ng PSA na ang karaniwang araw ng trabaho ay 22 lamang sa halip na 26), ang mga buwanang minimum wage ay hindi umaabot sa antas ng kahirapan. Alalahanin pa nating kontrobersyal ang poverty threshold dahil sa pagiging labis na mababa.”

Anang grupong PM, ang real wage, o kung ano ang mabibili ng mga manggagawa sa kanilang suweldo, ay hindi tumutugma sa produktibidad ng paggawa. Isang pag-aaral ng gobyerno ang nagpakita na ang real wages ay nananatiling stagnant habang ang produktibidad ay tumaas ng 50% mula 2001-2016. Para kay Miranda, “Kayang magbigay ng mas magandang sahod ang mga kumpanya ngunit ang sistema sa pagtatakda ng sahod ay patuloy na nambabarat sa mga manggagawa.”

Binanggit sa Wage Rationalization Act ang apat (mula sa sampu) na pamantayan tungkol sa isang living wage ngunit ang mga wage order tuwinang nakabatay lamang sa inflation—sa pinakamainam na sitwasyon. “Ang mga minimum wage ay naging isang ceiling, hindi isang floor. Nangangahulugan ito na ginagamit ng mga employer ang minimum wage bilang pinakamataas na handa nilang ialok sa mga manggagawa. Oras na para buwagin ang wage boards,” paliwanag ni Miranda. 

	New Daily Wage	Monthly Wage (x22)	Monthly Wage (x26)	PSA Poverty Threshold
Region 2	480	10,560	12,480	13,400
Region 3	550	12,100	14,300	16,046
Region 12	430	9,460	11,180	12,241

October 2, 2024

Minimum wage earners are poor according to PSA “fact reveal”

 

Photo from Rappler

The latest poverty statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last week show that families with a minimum wage earner as a breadwinner live below the poverty line. “PSA’s ‘fact reveal’ exposes the sad truth that minimum wage earners are working poor as their families survive below the poverty threshold which is unrealistically low. Thus, the urgency of a PhP 150 legislated across-the-board wage hike for all workers,” stated PM national chair and a Marikina city councilor.

 

“The minimum wage is highest in Metro Manila, where the wage board has already granted an adjustment last month. Yet the monthly income of a minimum wage earner in NCR is just PhP 14,190 (P645 x 22 working days). This falls below the PhP 15,713 poverty threshold in Metro Manila, according to the PSA,” Magtubo explained.

 

He added that the same working poor scenario exists for minimum wage earners in highly industrialized areas like Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Cebu. “The ‘minimum wage-poverty threshold gap’ is worse for workers in Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Cebu where no salary adjustment has been granted yet by the inutile wage boards. In Calabarzon the monthly minimum wage is PhP 11,440 but the poverty threshold is PhP 15,457. In Central Luzon the wage is PhP 11,000 but the threshold is PhP 16,046. Finally, in Cebu the monthly minimum wage is PhP 10,296 while the poverty threshold is PhP 14,397. The minimum wage-poverty threshold deficit ranges from PhP 4,000 to 5,000 in a month for these industrialized areas where minimum wages are higher than the rest of the country, except Metro Manila,” Magtubo elaborated.

 

He called for a legislated across-the-board wage hike of P150 to recover the lost purchasing power of workers nationwide. PM is calling on Congress to act on the demand for a salary increase.

 

Magtubo added that “It is a scandal that the minimum wage—which is a floor supposed to protect workers and their families—fails to rise above the poverty threshold. And this holds not just for Metro Manila but for all regions. We are a nation of working poor. Sa kabila ng sipag at tyaga ng mga manggagawa, nanatiling mahirap ang kanilang mga pamilya.”

 

“Further, we can question the accuracy of the poverty threshold estimates. Suffice it to say that even Sec. Balisacan found it difficult to defend the P64 food poverty threshold and stated that it needs revision. This admission from officials is good to hear but action from government is what the working poor need,” Magtubo averred.

August 19, 2024

“Gutom Na Pilipino” (GNP) persists despite economic growth

Photo from UCA News

“The phenomenon of Filipinos going hungry persists despite 30 years of economic growth. Sa mga komunidad, madami ang gutom na Pilipino o GNP. This is the GNP that we see is increasing,” according to Judy Miranda, secretary general of the group Partido Manggagawa (PM). This was PM ‘s reaction to the statement yesterday of Finance Undersecretary Domini Velasquez that poverty will be reduced to single digits by 2028.

 

Miranda asserted that “The government is able to brag about a low poverty incidence because it uses a depressed poverty threshold. Even Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan finds it difficult to defend the low poverty line that he promises a review of the unrealistic basket of goods used.”

 

“We ask Undersecretary Velasquez, what are the planned government interventions so that poverty is reduced to below 10% by the end of President Bongbong Marcos, Jr.’s administration? If this forecast is merely based on continued economic growth, this prediction is misguided as it assumes that everyone benefits from a rise in gross national product. GNP increases just means more gutom na Pilipino. Trickle-down economics is a scam. Di na magpapabudol ang manggagawa sa trickle-down.” Miranda explained.

 

She added that “Workers have certainly not benefited from the robust economic growth or GNP increases. Data provided by former Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua already revealed that the economy doubled from 2001 to 2016 and labor productivity increased by half yet real wages remained flat. Meaning, the size of the economic pie expanded but the slice taken by workers stayed the same. The capital-labor share of incomes is skewed against the working class.”

 

PM avers that Filipinos will not feel the predicted poverty reduction unless that are asset redistribution programs, targeted income transfers, and expansion of public services. “We reiterate our demand for a P150 legislated across-the-board salary increase, maternity benefits for informal women equivalent to 44 days of minimum wage, and provision of public laundromats in poor communities. These are concrete examples of actions that can reduce poverty, especially for women,” Miranda concluded.

August 18, 2024

Minimum wage earner families are food poor—Partido Manggagawa

Photo from Panay News

The P64 food poverty threshold means that families with a minimum wage earner as breadwinner are food poor. This is the reaction of the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) to NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan’s statement on the latest poverty threshold estimates. Tomorrow, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to hold a presscon to announce the results of the poverty survey for the full year of 2023.

 

“Basing on the publicly available PSA data, the first semester 2023 poverty threshold for Metro Manila is P18,704, of which P13,061 is the allocation for food. The minimum wage for Metro Manila, which was increased last month, is just P645 per day or P16,770 for one month. Thus, the income of a family of five with a minimum wage earner as breadwinner falls well below the poverty line and is food poor,” explained Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and a Marikina city councilor.

 

He called for a legislated across-the-board wage hike of P150 to recover the lost purchasing power of workers nationwide. PM is calling on Congress to act on the demand for a salary increase.

 

The P13,061 poverty food threshold for Metro Manila in the first semester of 2023 implies that a person needs more than P87 per day to be considered not poor. This is above the P64 mentioned by Sec. Balisacan which refers to the national average for the full year of 2023. Magtubo declared that “The P64 food poverty threshold is well above NCR’s food poverty threshold since the cost of living is higher in the capital. But despite the higher minimum wage in Metro Manila that is still not enough to sustain a family. Therefore, workers deserve a wage hike.”

 

He added that “It is a scandal that the minimum wage—which is a floor supposed to protect workers and their families—fails to rise above the poverty threshold. And this holds not just for Metro Manila but for all regions. We are a nation of working poor. Sa kabila ng sipag at tyaga ng mga manggagawa, nanatiling mahirap ang kanilang mga pamilya.”

 

“Further, we can question the accuracy of the poverty threshold estimates. Suffice it to say that even Sec. Balisacan found it difficult to defend the P64 food poverty threshold and stated that it needs revision. This admission from officials is good to hear but action from government is what the working poor need,” Magtubo averred.

August 14, 2024

STATEMENT ON THE CONSULTATION BY THE NCR WAGE BOARD

STATEMENT ON THE ONGOING CONSULTATION BY THE NCR WAGE BOARD TO REVIEW MATTERS RELATED TO WAGES

Held at the Occupational Safety and Health Center, Quezon City

 

We came here not because we wanted a review of the wage orders issued by the NCR wage board as directed by the president on Labor Day, but to straightly express our collective sentiments regarding the failure of this body to lift millions of minimum wage earners out of poverty over the past 35 years!

 

Our position:

 

1. There is nothing to review about the Php40 wage increase received by NCR workers in July 2023 because everybody knows it is not even half of the value of wages eroded by inflation. In fact, Business World already released a calculation of the real wage of the nominal wage adjusted for inflation this April, where the Php610 minimum wage in NCR, the highest in the country, is now only worth Php502.60.

 

2. Your review, no matter how serious, cannot correct the failures and shortcomings of the regional wage boards over the past 35 years in raising the minimum wage nationwide above the poverty line, and especially not in achieving at least one thousand pesos of the estimated family living wage per day as mandated by our Constitution.

 

3. On the contrary, we collectively believe that what needs to be reviewed are the wage boards in all regions and the law that created them, RA 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989. This review should be conducted by the Congress that created this law, with the aim of rectifying the injustice suffered by workers over the past 35 years!

 

4. We have already approached Congress to legislate a Php150 wage increase to help workers recover their take-home pay affected by rising prices of goods and services, and to review the wage setting mechanisms in the country. The Senate has already passed a Php100 wage increase, and public hearings are ongoing in the House Committee on Labor for a Php150 increase. We rather urge the wage board to support our efforts in convincing Congress if you truly wish to help alleviate the difficult lives of workers and their families due to low wages and high prices of goods and services.

 

5. Lastly, we came here to say directly that it is likely that you were simply instructed by DOLE Secretary Laguesma to expedite the process to preempt and derail the impending action of Congress to legislate a wage increase, which he and ECOP vehemently oppose. The Secretary, to us, acts as a spokesperson for the capitalists by joining business groups in propagating the “catastrophic” blackmail that a P150 legislated wage hike will lead to company closures, price hikes, and drive away investors – issues that were effectively debunked by labor leaders, economists, and academe in recent public hearings conducted by the Labor Committee of the House of Representatives.

 

Nonetheless, we thank the RWPB-NCR for your invitation, allowing us to express our long-held anger and grievances against a system deliberately designed in a capitalist manner to keep workers in perpetual poverty. We apologize if we have nothing more to say that will please the Board.

23 May 2024

Labor party wants Laguesma out of DOLE

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) is issuing this statement, which calls for the resignation of Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, primarily because of his obstinate stand against the proposed legislated wage hike.

His strong opposition against this proposal, despite the regional wage boards’ failure to raise wages beyond the poverty threshold and to narrow down the gap between the minimum wage and living wage during the last 35 years, lay bare all the pretensions about the protection of labor rights and the government’s pledge to raise the Filipino families’ standard of living.  

By speaking against legislating wages, Laguesma dropped the workers in favor of employers. His concern about the economy becomes even clearer when he blocks wage growth, which is the workers’ only source of economic life.

We want him out of DOLE for he will never represent the working class. His background speaks more of him dealing with and lawyering for corporate owners aside from being one of the richest and highest paid officials in the Marcos Cabinet.

Partido Manggagawa

09 May 2024

NATIONAL WAGE COALITION DEMANDS A PRO-WAGE HIKE VOTE IN THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ON 15 MAY 2024

As the  House of Representatives’ Committee on Labor and Employment drags its feet on the legislated wage hike after already three hearings, the National Wage Coalition, spearheaded by the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA!), and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), demands the labor committee chaired by Rep. Fidel Nograles, to finally vote for the committee approval of the long-overdue and much-deserved wage increase in its next hearing on Wednesday, 15 May 2024. 

After three exhaustive hearings where economists, academics, think tanks, civil societies, and workers themselves already demolished the fancied threats, myths, and lies of massive price spikes, joblessness, and business closures, the National Wage Coalition calls on the House Committee on Labor to now vote for the approval of the proposed legislated wage hike measures. With a significant majority of the members of the committee as co-authors such as in the ₱150 legislated across-the-board wage recovery increase by the TUCP, the National Wage Coalition trusts that the House of the People will heed the people’s pleas and accept the resounding truth that there is an imperative for Congress to raise workers' wages now after more than three decades of token increases and starvation wages under the regional wage board system.

Instead of the inadequate presidential order to review and reform regional minimum wage rates, the National Wage Coalition demands that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. immediately certify urgent the legislated wage hike to fast-track its approval in the House of Representatives, considering that it is already passed in the Senate. The President must recognize that decades of insufficient increases from the regional wage boards must be set aside in favor of the legislated wage measures advanced by the united workers of the National Wage Coalition.

To be truly the House of the People, the National Wage Coalition demands Congress to raise the wages of all workers towards their right to a living wage, such as the P750 legislated wage hike by the Makabayan bloc through the legislated wage hike for private sector workers and a fair Salary Standardization Law to increase the minimum wage of public sector workers to ₱33,000. We call on the honorable members of the House of Representatives to co-author legislated wage hike measures and for the House Committee on Labor to immediately approve these measures and send them to the plenary for urgent deliberations and passage. For all the workers of this nation whose honest hard work creates the wealth of our nation, the National Wage Coalition forges ahead in our struggle to demand the end of senseless dribbling because all that needs to be said has been already said. The House of the People only needs to listen and heed the people's demand: DAGDAG SAHOD ISABATAS! ₱150 PATAAS! 

National Wage Coalition

9 May 2024 

May Day 2024 is “Coldest Labor Day” – Partido Manggagawa

 

Despite the scorching heat, the Partido Manggagawa (PM) labeled as “coldest Labor Day” this year's May Day celebration due to the government's icy reception to labor’s demand for a wage hike.

 

PM is part of the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, which marched along España Boulevard in Manila alongside the National Wage Coalition, advocating for “Dagdag Sahod Isabatas, P150 Pataas” or the enactment of the proposed across-the-board wage hike of not less than P150.

 

Pending before the Lower House are the proposed P150 wage hike bill authored by TUCP Partylist Rep. and Deputy Speaker Raymond Mendoza, and the P750 bill filed by Makabayan block. Also filed was the P33,000/month entry level wage for public sector workers.

 

Despite the urgency of these demands, the Palace's response to workers' clamor for substantial wage hike has been cold, limited to repetitive job fairs, Kadiwa rollout, and disbursement of aid like TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) programs.

 

Moreover, there has been a notable absence of dialogue between labor groups and the President to address workers' concerns.

 

"President Marcos has navigated nearly the entire globe, met with business, trade representatives and military attachés of allied nations for trade and war preparations, yet he has not engaged with worker representatives to discuss labor concerns two years in office," remarked PM Chairman Renato Magtubo.

 

However, Magtubo also noted that despite the lack of dialogue, essential actions could still be undertaken, such as certifying proposed wage increase bills currently pending in the Lower House.

 

Magtubo cautioned that the continuing absence and inaction on the part of the Executive will only worsen the plight of workers in the coming months due to the compounded effects of the ongoing climate crisis and the escalating prices of essential goods and services like food, electricity and water, exacerbated by flawed privatization and liberalization policies.

PRESS RELEASE

01 May 2024

KOALISYON LABAN SA CHACHA CALLS FOR WAGE HIKE, SCRAP CHACHA TALKS ON PRE-LABOR DAY

Members of Koalisyon Laban sa ChaCha convened today at Quiapo Church to observe Labor Day and emphasize the urgent need of workers for wage increases, vehemently opposing Charter Change.

The pre-Labor Day mass was presided over by Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, head of Caritas Philippines, and also one of the convenors of the Koalisyon. Numerous leaders and members of labor groups and people's organizations were present.

“In the spirit of St. Joseph, the patron saint of workers, we acknowledge the hard work of our workers to provide for their families and to uplift our economy. We offer special prayers and blessings to them as they continue to fight for dignity and rights,” Bagaforo said.

Coalition members, composed of various religious groups and people’s organizations, underscored the importance of enacting and enabling laws that guarantee living wages, labor rights and protections, and other safeguards in the worsening economic and climate conditions.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, also a convenor, called for the immediate passage of Senate Bill No. 2534 or the "P100 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Act of 2023”, in which she guaranteed the inclusion of not just regular workers, but also individuals employed under contractual agreements, sub-contractual agreements, or manpower agencies earning the minimum wage.

“Umento sa sahod ang isinisigaw ng ating mga manggagawa. Iyan ang tunay nilang kailangan. Mariin tayong nananawagan na mas pagtuunan ng oras at panahon ang pagpasa ng mga batas na makakapagbigay ng kagyat na ginhawa sa kanila, hindi ang ChaCha.,” Hontiveros said.

Likewise, Judy Miranda, Secretary General of Partido Manggagawa also emphasized the urgency of legislating daily wage increments, citing the Senate's approval of the said bill last February.

“Sa 'Sahod Itaas, ChaCha Iatras', mariing nakikibaka ang mga manggagawa laban sa patuloy na pagtaas ng mga bilihin at mababang pasahod. Hiling ng mga manggagawa na maisabatas ang dagdag sahod kada araw, na kung saan ang P100  na panukala ay inaprubahan na ng Senado,”

Miranda also highlighted the four key issues crucial to the labor sector, dubbed as the "Apat Na Dapat" (Four Musts): lowering daily expenses, raising wages, creating jobs, and addressing poverty. She stressed that these priorities reflect workers' need for concrete governmental actions, and not the proposed constitutional amendments.

“Ang pagbalewala ng pamahalaan sa pangangailangan ng mga ordinaryong manggagawa habang itinutulak ang walang kabuluhang Charter Change ay sumisira sa prinsipyo ng "primacy of labor over capital" ng Konstitusyon,” Miranda said.

NEWS RELEASE
30 April 2024

Wage clustering is better than regionalization but one national minimum wage is best

 

According to Partido Manggagawa (PM), the proposal of Representative Joel R. Chua (3rd District of Manila) to replace the current wage regionalization scheme with a wage clustering system is welcome in the sense that it founded on a recognition of the failures of the existing wage fixing system and thus opens a window for a discussion of a better mechanism. “Wage clustering is better than regionalization but one national minimum wage is best,” Rene Magtubo, PM national chair, explained.

 

He added that “We agree, as Rep. Chua asserts, that wage regionalization has led a huge gap between wages of regions that are not substantiated by differences in cost of living, and also has led to complexity in implementation as the DOLE has to monitor almost 50 minimum wages across the country.”

 

For this reason, PM is pushing for a national minimum wage as a floor. Differences between actual wages should be based on seniority, skills and productivity, according to the group.

 

“Also, while we insist that a replacement to the wage regionalization mechanism is also overdue, let us not lose sight of the immediate demand for a P150 across-the-board legislated wage recovery,” Magtubo emphasized.

 

PM is advocating for an “Apat na Dapat” in regard to the wage issue at the moment:

 

1. Php 150 across the board wage increase to recover wage loss due to inflation (immediate);

 

2. Non-wage benefits to enhance take home pay (for example: suspension of Philhealth contributions, reduction in withholding taxes for fixed income earners, social security subsidies, etc.);

 

3. Review and amend RA 6727 with the end in view of having uniform wage rates and satisfying the constitutional mandate of granting workers a living wage;

 

4. Enhance wage and benefits setting through collective bargaining negotiations by implementing the recommendations of the International Labour Organization’s High-Level Tripartite Mission so that workers can exercise freedom of association without harassment and intimidations, and unwarranted regulations. 

 

Workers in Cebu demand jeepney franchise extension, P150 wage hike in year-end rally

 

In a year-end action today, a delegation of workers and students rallied at the SSS Building along Osmena Boulevard in Cebu City to demand a one-year extension of individual jeepney franchises extension and the passage of the bill for a P150 wage hike.

 

“At the stroke of midnight today, 148,000 will lose their livelihoods. This is conservatively estimated as one operator and one driver for the 74,000 jeepneys units which have not been consolidated either into cooperatives or corporations, according to the Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board. This is a significant number, comprising an additional 7% to the 2,090,000 officially unemployed Filipinos as of October 2023,” stated Dennis Derige, Partido Manggagawa (PM)-Cebu spokesperson.

 

Speakers at the rally included the president of the labor union at Lami Foods and a leader of the Guadalupe Women’s Collective. Members of the Cebu chapters of PM and SENTRO joined the picket.

 

Derige explained that “In 14 out of 17 regions, minimum wages were increased by PhP 30 to Php 40 in the second half of this year, bringing them to a high of Php 610 in Metro Manila to a low of PhP 368 in Zamboanga Peninsula. However, the equivalent real wages remain depressed. The PhP 33 hike in Central Visayas raised nominal wage to PhP 468 but the equivalent real wage is only PhP 397. That is, PhP 468 in 2023 can only buy the equivalent of PhP 397 in 2018, or a gap of PhP 71.”

 

He added that “The difference between nominal and real wages is a result of inflation over the years: wage hikes have not kept up with the rise in prices and so workers’ purchasing power has been depleted. The nominal versus real wage gap ranges from PhP 63 in Zamboanga Peninsula to PhP 108 in Central Luzon. Thus the necessity for Congress to plug the gap by enacting the bill for a PhP 150 salary increase.”

 

PM is calling for a just transition for jeepney operators and drivers in the implementation of the modernization program.

 

“The government claimed that 200,000 new jobs were created as a result of investment pledges accruing from the President’s trips abroad. Assuming this is true—the administration still needs to explain how they guessed these figures—it is almost matched by the number of traditional jeepney operators and drivers who will lose their livelihood as a result of the cancellation of their individual franchises. The President does not need a 58% hike in his travel budget to PhP 1.4 billion to generate new jobs, he just needs to extend the individual franchises so that existing livelihoods are preserved,” Derige insisted.

 

Photos and a video of the rally can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/pfbid0T7NQBtzk5mcHnHjCwrdawUnmXS7V9vvZgTco5wBqWuPPcznf2djmJS1trumeNfm9l and https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/videos/1567012827390462 

Press Release

December 31, 2023

Economic managers moonlighting as employers’ spokespersons—labor group

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno for “moonlighting as employers’ spokespersons” with their doomsday predictions about a P150 legislated wage hike is approved by Congress.

 

“Employers Confederation of the Philippines President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. also warned of job losses, price hikes and economic slowdown if wages are raised. Government’s economic managers and employers’ representatives are both painting the same apocalyptic scenarios without any substantiation,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM spokesperson and Marikina City councilor.

 

He added that “Our own economic modelling shows that salary increases will have an insignificant impact on both employment and inflation contrary to Balisacan and Diokno’s claims. Empirical studies for other countries also show similar results.”

 

PM cited that Indonesia, which is similarly situated as the Philippines as a middle-income country with a large informal economy, raised wages by some 50% in 2011 and 2012 without negative effects on prices, employment and GDP. In comparison, a P150 wage hike redounds to just a 25% boost in the minimum wage in Metro Manila.

 

“Raising wages improves living standards and has a secondary effect of increasing worker motivation and morale and thus labor productivity. Further, salary hikes in the formal sector also increases incomes in the informal economy through the so-called lighthouse effect. That is, the rise in formal sector wages signal to the rest of economic actors what a socially acceptable income should be. Finally, Balisacan’s own NEDA admits that GDP growth in the Philippines is primarily driven by household consumption and thus increasing the purchasing power of workers will have a positive effect on the economy,” Magtubo explained.

 

He furthered that “Balisacan and Diokno conveniently forget that government’s own data confirm that from 2001 to 2016, real wages were stagnant but labor productivity grew by 50% while GDP doubled. In other words, the economic pie expanded but the slice given to workers remained the same and employers monopolized all the growth. Why are they silent on this?”

 

PM contended that the P150 legislated wage hike seeks mainly to recover the lost value of workers’ wages and not yet to partake of the increased labor productivity. “Even a P150 will not raise workers’ wages to the level of a living wage, which today stands at around P1,300 per day and increasing due to unabated inflation,” Magtubo insisted.

Press Release

August 17, 2023