Tungkol sa TRO sa P85 Wage Hike na inilabas ng Pasig RTC

Mali ang Pasig RTC sa paglalabas ng TRO laban sa implementasyon ng P85 wage hike dito sa NCR. Bukod sa labag ito sa Labor Code, wala rin itong katwiran. 

 

Magkakaroon lamang ng katwiran ang TRO ni Judge Manongsong kung  naka TRO din ang presyo ng mga bilihin. 

 

May system loss na nga sa kuryente, pati sweldo ay gusto pa yatang ipa- system loss ni Judge. 

 

Isusubo na lang nawala pa. Wages delayed are wages denied.

 

Ang alam lang yata ni Judge ay ang karapatan ng lahat, kabilang ang employer na tumakbo sa korte anumang oras. Ang hindi niya kabisado ay hindi pwedeng takbuhan ng employer ang pananagutan sa sahod ng mga manggagawa.

 

PRESS STATEMENT

Partido Manggagawa

30 July 2026

Workers to Remolona: Why is P85 wage hike inflationary and your P52-M per year is not?

Photo from Business World

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM), on Monday asked Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona on why he raises high alarm on the inflationary impact of the recently approved P85 increase in daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR). 

 

The group said because workers have no grasp of macro-economics, it wants the BSP governor to educate the public on why money in the hands of rich people is not inflationary while workers’ wages are.

 

In particular: “Why is the P85 wage hike inflationary and his P52 million salary is not,” asked PM Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

Magtubo said Remolona is merely echoing the long-held position of employer’s groups that any wage increase is bad for workers and the economy.

 

“Ang mayayaman sa Pilipinas ay mas maraming hawak na pera kaysa sa manggagawa, pero walang economic managers sa bansa ang nagsabi na ang ganitong sitwasyon ay inflationary, samantalang korus silang lahat sa inflationary effect ng wage hike,” said Magtubo.

 

He added: “Why should inflation be the problem when it is wages which cannot catch up with the latter? Ang duda naming ay may balak ang pamahalaan na i-reverse ang P85 sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay babala sa ibang rehiyon na huwag tularan ang NCR. Hindi ito acceptable.”

 

The labor leader said workers need answers to this question as the 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President is happening on Monday under the backdrop of the Philippines having been declared by the World Bank an upper middle-income country (UMIC). 

 

PM said for the UMIC status to be real, an average Filipino household size of four members must have an income of P1,000,000 per year.  

 

“Wala tayo sa ganyang mundo ngayon. Sa katunayan, 90% ng households sa buong Pilipinas ay kumikita ng mas mababa sa P1-M sa loob ng isang taon, batay sa Family Income and Expenditure Survey,” Magtubo explained.

 

He added that millionaires in the richest 10% of the population can only be found in 13 cities of the country, 8 of which are in Metro Manila. “Pero walang nagpapaliwanag kung bakit ang hawak nilang yaman ay hindi inflationary at ang wage hike sa minimum wage earners ang dapat pangambahan.”

 

Minimum wages in the Philippines in all regions in the country, except NCR, have stayed lower than the official poverty threshold. 

 

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

20 July 2026

 

Government asked, “Where is the concrete action on labor-related killings”?

The group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the administration of President Bong Bong Marcos Jr. for action on the case of union organizer Dennis Sequeña who was killed five years ago. “It has been five long years of seeking justice for our friend and comrade Dennis who was shot to death on June 2, 2019 while speaking at a labor rights seminar for Cavite export zone workers in Tanza. We call on President Marcos Jr. to pursue the case as part of his administration’s commitment to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) which conducted a probe last January 2023,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and a Marikina city councilor.

 

Sequeña’s fatal shooting days before the annual ILO conference in 2019 sparked outrage among delegates and led to the decision to send the HLTM to the country to investigate the series of labor-related killings and other violations of the right to unionize in the country. It however took more than four years since that ILO decision for the HLTM to actually conduct its probe. Still, the ILO HLTM concluded that the “presence of a ‘mindset linking’ unions to the insurgency without the benefit of due process, [which] has led to a climate of impunity and violations of workers’ rights” and recommended the formation of a presidential body to resolve the 72 unsolved cases of labor-related killings as of the end of 2023.

 

“The government’s submission to the Committee on the Application of Standards which is going to review the complaints against the Philippine state at the ongoing ILO annual conference states that concrete action has been undertaken by the concerned agencies. We know that there has been none regarding the case of Dennis. This despite the fact that the provincial tripartite monitoring body resolved that the killing of Dennis was labor-related and that the AO 35 Committee headed by the Department of Justice acquired jurisdiction of the case years ago,” Magtubo explained. The ILO annual conference is currently in session in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

PM is calling on the ILO to reject the government’s request that the Philippines be taken off the list of countries that need to be examined by the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards regarding compliance with international labor standards, including freedom of association and right to collective bargaining.

 

“The brutal murder of Dennis has become a cold case after five years because of inaction by the government despite the presence of leads and findings by bodies such as the provincial tripartite body and the AO 35 Committee. His case reveals the disconnect between words and actions by the government on the prevailing impunity against union leaders and activists,” Magtubo ended. 

June 4, 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

PRESS RELEASE: When the lives of workers improve, the entire economy will also improve – Nagkaisa!

Photo from Manila Bulletin

In the ongoing hearing today regarding the legislated wage hike in the Lower House of Congress, members of the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition urged lawmakers to prioritize the demands of workers for a P150 or higher wage increase, instead of yielding to the threats of employers that it will destroy the economy.

 

The group reminded lawmakers of the provision in the Constitution stating the "primacy of labor over capital" as a guiding principle in deciding on this contentious issue. They pointed out that for over three decades, employers have persistently opposed it, while the minimum wage of workers remained below the poverty line.

 

The group stated this position while staging a protest in front of the Batasan complex, along with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa (KAPATIRAN), Marikina Workers Alliance, National Federation of Labor (NFL), Partido Manggagawa (PM), TESEF, and Unified Filipino Service Workers (UFSW).

 

But before the protest could even start, the police dispersed them away from the Batasan gate and blocked their return, led by Precinct 6 commander, Col. Castillo. The labor groups condemned the actions of the police, stating that this was the second time they had done so, the first being against the youth just two weeks prior.

 

They called on the leadership of the PNP and Mayor Joy Belmonte to stop the police abuse at the Batasan, as it shows a lack of respect for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

 

The group asserted further that their petition for wage increase is not anti-MSME or anti-business because any additional income in the pockets of workers is returned to the economy through consumption in small businesses, compared to the huge profits of businesses that only go towards extravagant expenses of capital owners.

 

NAGKAISA! also mentioned that the economy of workers relies solely on wages, so while most survive in the formal sector and self-reliance in the informal economy, a wage increase has a more positive impact on the entire economy compared to if the majority of workers remain impoverished.

 

They noted that the highest minimum wage of P610 here in NCR has a real value lower than the national poverty line of P13,797 in 2023.

 

Aside from the wage increase in the private sector, NAGKAISA! supports a separate proposal for a wage hike for public sector employees.

 

NAGKAISA! also seeks to reform the wage-setting system in the country through legislation because for the past 35 years under RA6727 and regional wage boards, the majority of workers in the country have remained poor, which goes against the Constitution's mandate for the right to a living wage and a rising standard of living for their families.

February 28, 2024

NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition

Nagkaisa debunks business groups’ arguments against legislated wage increase

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition strongly refutes the preposterous and misleading argument put forth by certain business groups that only a minority will benefit from the proposed legislative wage increase and as a result, raising wages will send 50 million workers begging for ayuda.

The business groups recently claimed that increasing wages would only benefit a small percentage of the total workforce, stating that approximately 16 percent or about eight million workers in the formal sector out of the total 50 million Filipino workers would be eligible for the wage hike.

This line of argument tries to draw a trade-off between workers in the formal and informal sector to diffuse employers’ direct accountability to their workers, hoping that by painting this ‘little-to-no effect’ and hyperinflation scenario, lawmakers would reconsider passing a legislated wage measure.

We contend that the miserable state of the 50 million workers or more, which is a bigger agenda than a wage hike, is not for the workers to solve but for the government and the capitalist class which failed to address problems of chronic poverty and inequality in the country for decades.

And certainly, keeping minimum wages at starvation level perpetuates the problem, thus, telling minimum wage workers to sacrifice further on behalf of their poorer brothers and sisters in the working class does not solve anything except the comfort of businesses to keep their profit margins when wages are kept at bare minimum.

The employers' arguments fail to consider the broader economic effects and undermine the crucial role of fair wages in driving sustainable growth. Contrary to their claims, raising wages will have a significant positive impact on the economy and the majority of Filipino workers.

It is vital to recognize that the well-being of workers and economic growth are interconnected. By ensuring fair wages for a significant portion of the workforce, we can create a positive ripple effect that stimulates economic activity, increases consumer spending power, and fosters social progress. The 16 percent of workers who will experience increased wages will contribute to a healthier economic climate, benefiting businesses and workers alike.

In addition, the economic benefits of wage increase can help address the persistent issue of malnutrition in the Philippines. UNICEF data reveals the severity of malnutrition in the country, with devastating consequences for the future of Filipino children. Every day, 95 children die from malnutrition, and twenty-seven out of 1,000 Filipino children do not get past their fifth birthday. Shockingly, one-third of Filipino children are stunted, meaning they are short for their age. Stunting after the age of 2 can have permanent, irreversible, and even fatal effects. Needless to say, malnutrition is the culprit behind the country’s dismal below-average IQ ranking of the Philippines in the World Population Review 2023 (WPR).

 
These distressing statistics underscore the urgent need for action. A significant wage increase plays a crucial role in combating malnutrition by enabling families to afford nutritious food, access healthcare, and provide a better quality of life for their children. By addressing the root causes of malnutrition through improved wages, we can protect the future generation of Filipinos from the devastating effects of undernutrition.

We maintain that the first key advantage of higher wages is that workers have more money at their disposal. With increased purchasing power, workers are empowered to spend on essential goods and services, thereby driving consumer demand. This heightened consumer spending not only benefits businesses directly but also stimulates overall economic activity, contributing to a positive economic cycle.

Secondly, higher wages can foster employee loyalty and motivation. When workers are fairly compensated for their efforts, they feel valued and are more likely to be engaged and productive in their roles. This improved productivity can enhance business efficiency and output, further bolstering economic growth.

Likewise, a workforce with higher wages projects stability and helps attract investments. Investors are drawn to countries or regions where workers have decent wages, as it signifies a stable and growing consumer base. Such countries are viewed as favorable investment destinations due to the potential for increased sales and profitability. By implementing higher wages, nations can position themselves as attractive markets for both domestic and foreign investment, spurring economic development and job creation.

Therefore, it is crucial for policymakers and businesses to recognize that investing in workers through higher wages yields significant long-term benefits. The positive effects cascade throughout the economy, generating a multiplier effect that contributes to overall prosperity.

PRESS RELEASE
Nagkaisa Labor Coalition 

Untamed inflation warrants immediate pay hike – Partido Manggagawa

 

                                                    

With November inflation escalating to 8.0%, the Partido Manggagawa (PM), on Tuesday, reiterated its demand for an immediate wage hike to restore lost purchasing power of workers.

 

A P100 “wage increase for wage recovery” petition was filed yesterday by the Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa (Kapatiran) and PM before the NCR Wage Board.

 

A wage hike, together with reforms in the country’s wage rationalization law, were part of the 5-Point Labor Agenda being pushed by Nagkaisa, a coalition to which PM is affiliated. Other agenda include, public employment program, an end to endo and trade union repression both in the private and public sector, and mechanisms for continuing dialogue to discuss industry and structural reforms. 

 

“Without an immediate pay hike, workers are left to shoulder the impacts of rising cost of living while Congress and economic managers spend their time pooling funds, including pension funds of workers, to invest in the Maharlika Investment Fund,” said PM Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

Further, added Magtubo, “without reforms in the wage fixing mechanisms, poverty wages shall be confined to where they are during the last three decades – at starvation levels.”

 

PM supports the Kapatiran petition for a wage hike and argued firmly that even without runaway inflation, workers deserve a fair share from economic growth and rising productivity.

 

“GDP and labor productivity were on the rise during the last three decades, yet real wages remained flat. So, we really don’t understand why proponents of Maharlika in Congress never thought of providing workers wealth transfers (i.e., wealth tax) and rather trained their guns at how employee pension funds can be converted into capital,” lamented Magtubo.

 

PM likewise dismisses the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) main argument against the wage hike petition.

 

“ECOP says only 10% of workers will benefit from a wage hike as registered enterprises are 90% MSMEs. Yet the truth is, big companies also benefit from low minimum wage by way of endo or contractualization,” asserted Magtubo.

 

The labor group said thousands of agency workers deployed in medium and large companies are paid the basic minimum wage and that is the main reason why ECOP vehemently rejects any attempt to end endo.

Partido Manggagawa

6 December 2022

Labor group slams employers seeking wage exemptions: “Wag kayong kuripot”

  

Joey Concepcion, big capitalist and presidential adviser

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed employers for seeking exemption from the recently announced minimum wage hikes as it shouted out to them: “Wag kayong kuripot!” The group called on workers to express outrage as the most vulnerable workers will be left with nothing if the employers get their wish.

 

Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Frank Carbon, vice president in the Visayas of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Joey Concepcion, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship, all declared that employers will be hit by the pay increases. Last Friday, the Western Visayas regional wage board hiked the minimum wage by P55 to P110. Likewise, the NCR wage board announced a P33 increase, thus raising the minimum wage in Metro Manila to P570. PM had earlier called for a P100 legislated wage hike.

 

“Pera na magiging bato pa. This is what will happen if the employers’ demand for exemption or deferment is granted. The wage hikes are not even enough to recover the value lost to inflation for the past three years. Deferring the pay increase and exempting employers will be rubbing salt on the wound,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

 

He added that “Doomsday scenarios of firms going bankrupt, laying off workers and inflation running amok are just the usual disinformation and scare tactics of employers in their class war against a wage increase and a profit decrease. Studies have shown that the employment and inflation effects of wage increases in developing countries are marginal. Employers are being disingenuous in saying that salary hikes will just induce price increases but they are silent on the fact that wages have already been eroded by inflation. Workers are the victims of inflation and wage hikes are not its cause.”

 

The group insisted that the pandemic-induced economic crisis is not an argument against a wage hike. “On the contrary, it is a reason to provide money to consumers through a pay increase. Boosting the purchasing power of consumers—especially lowly paid workers who spend most of their take-home pay compared to high income earners—will pump prime the economy and lead to the revival of MSMEs.”

 

PM pointed out that a MSME with 10 workers, will only incur an additional P330 in daily wage costs or P8,580 in monthly labor expenses which translates to a mere 0.3% of its P3 million asset size. “This will definitely not bankrupt an MSME. But a lack of market because of low consumption will kill an MSME. A wage hike will create a virtuous cycle in the economy. Capitalists simply do not want to share the profit they have accumulated through the decade and a half of sustained economic growth,” Magtubo expounded.

May 18, 2022

Labor group opposes wage hike exemption and deferment

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) opposed the call of employers for exemption and deferment of the minimum wage hikes for workers in the National Capital Region and Western Visayas. “It is adding insult to injury to workers for the regional wage boards to exempt and defer the wage hike as demanded by employers. The minimum wage increases are not even enough to recover the value lost to inflation for the past three years. If the hikes are deferred and employers exempted then the most vulnerable workers are left with nothing,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

 

Yesterday the NCR wage board announced a P33 increase, thus raising the minimum wage in Metro Manila to P570. Likewise, the Western Visayas regional wage board yesterday hiked the minimum wage by P55 to P110. PM had earlier called for a P100 legislated wage hike.

 

The group averred that even small businesses can afford to give their workers a pay increase. “Wag kayong kuripot! Before the pandemic, businesses, both big and small, accumulated revenues and profit without sharing the productivity gains to their workers. From 2001 to 2016, the economy doubled in size and productivity increased by 50% but real wages remained stagnant. The pie became larger but the slice of workers remained the same. Employers greedily monopolized all the new wealth produced by the blood and sweat of workers,” Magtubo explained.

 

He added “The economic slump is not an argument against a pay increase. Instead it is a reason to provide money to consumers through a wage hike. Boosting the purchasing power of consumers—especially lowly paid workers who spend most of their take-home pay compared to high income earners—will pump prime the economy and lead to the revival of MSMEs.”

 

The group pointed out that a MSME with 10 workers, will only incur an additional P330 in daily wage costs or P8,580 in monthly labor expenses which translates to a mere 0.3% of its P3 million asset size. “This will definitely not bankrupt an MSME. But a lack of market because of low consumption will kill an MSME. A wage hike will create a virtuous cycle in the economy. Capitalists simply do not want to share the profit they have accumulated through the decade and a half of sustained economic growth,” Magtubo expounded.

 

He insisted that “P50 is needed as wage recovery in the NCR. The National Wages and Productivity Commission’s own data shows that as of April 2022, the P537 minimum wage in Metro Manila is worth only P487 due to inflation since 2018.”

 

“The International Labour Organization (ILO), in its Minimum Wage Policy Guide, asserts that exemptions defeat the very purpose of the minimum wage which is to protect the income of the most vulnerable segment of the working class. ILO experts also argue that a plethora of minimum wages serves as a barrier to efficient and effective enforcement of minimum wages. This is precisely the problem in the Philippines where even in one region such as Calabarzon there are different minimum wages across different towns,” he stated.

May 15, 2022

Both business and govt must act to avert a social crisis—labor group

Photo by Patrick Adalin

The labor group Partido Manggagawa asserted that both business and government must act to avert the covid pandemic turning into a social crisis. This was the group’s reaction to the call by 32 business organizations for deficit spending by government for assistance to workers and the poor.

“Employers must bear temporary losses by paying wages to their workers during the lockdown. Businesses should go into deficit spending just like what they demand of government,” stated Rene Magtubo.

To illustate, he added that “We know of a parts supplier to car companies abroad that stopped operating this week without granting quarantine subsidy to more than 8,000 workforce and instead is applying for the P5,000 DOLE assistance to formal workers. This is a giant company that can very well afford to bear losses by paying wages during the lockdown.”

“Big businesses that employ more than 200 workers should be mandated to grant quarantine subsidy to its workers. These large establishments employ more than a third of all formal workers.”

According to PM, even micro, small and medium enterprises can shoulder temporary losses by paying quarantine subsidy to their workers. A microenterprise with 5 workers and P1.5 million in capitalization—the median numbers for the category—will incur P50,000 in quarantine subdidy for one month which translates to losses since there is no revenue. This P50,000 temporary loss is still just 3.3% of its total capitalization and should not lead to bankruptcy. These microenterprises number 850,000 and employ almost a third of all formal workers.

Magtubo explained that “For a median small enterprise with P7.5 million in capitalization and employing 50 workers, shouldering the quarantine subsidy of P10,000 in one month translates to a loss of 6.7% of their capital, which is still manageable.”

“But, assuming for the sake of argument that the SMSE sector is precisely what the government should assist, then the P5,000 DOLE assistance is wanting and must be raised to P10,000. This is what should be funded from the P280 billion in stimulus that business is proposing,” Magtubo insisted.

He furthered that “However this imply that large enterprises must take the cudgels for their own workers. But at present they are not doing that. So they must be compelled by a government order mandating that big firms pay quarantine subsidy to their workers. Employers have benefited from more than a decade of economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers whose real wages have stagnated. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers.”

March 21, 2020

Lockdown order lack guarantees for workers’ welfare, civil liberties

Photo from autoindustriya.com

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) asked that guarantees be put in place in the so-called ‘community quarantine’ imposed on Metro Manila in order to protect workers’ welfare and civil liberties.

“President Duterte’s order to lockdown Metro Manila for 30 days opens the way for workers’ rights and civil liberties to be violated. Freedom of assembly should not be sacrificed since community organizations and civil society groups should be able to meet and deliberate on urgent matters including a proper covid response,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We wanted to hear President Duterte mobilize public and private resources, especially health personnel, to combat covid but instead all we heard is the mobilization of police and soldiers. Will checkpoints be manned by health workers with test kits or just police with guns?”

Magtubo explained that “Workers’ welfare is also bound to be sacrificed in the lockdown order that lacks clear guidelines and a labor-first perspective. Workers living outside NCR are supposed to allowed to enter and leave the capital as long as they have company ID’s. But informalization of labor—like the practice of endo—means there are numerous workers without proper ID’s and employment contracts. Many construction workers who are employed on an informal basis do not have proper documentation. Finally, informal workers like street vendors obviously do not have ID’s. The lockdown means they will not be able to travel to work and earn a living which will lead to health issues and vulnerability to covid.”

The group reiterated its call for the DOLE to issue an order mandating a worker-first policy on the employment impact of covid. “We do not accept management prerogative in implementing dismissals or flexible arrangements like forced leaves or work rotation. First of all, the DOLE must issue a determination that there is a real impact on the company. After which, any flexible work arrangement must be negotiated with duly-elected workers’ representatives or the union in case the company is organized,” Magtubo insisted.

 The group also proposed the following concrete measures:

1.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

2.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

4.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

5.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

6.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

7.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.”

March 13, 2020

DOLE must issue order on covid embodying worker-first policy—labor group

Photo from Inquirer.net

In the face of reports of actual and potential mass layoffs due to covid, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a department order on covid embodying a “worker-first” policy. “In view of DOLE’s own report of 300 employees jobless due to closure of tourism companies and more than 4,000 workers put on flexible work arrangements, a DOLE order is an urgent necessity. But order must put the interests of workers first. Manggagawa naman,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We do not accept management prerogative in implementing dismissals or flexible arrangements like forced leaves or work rotation. First of all, the DOLE must issue a determination that there is a real impact on the company. After which, any flexible work arrangement must be negotiated with duly-elected workers’ representatives or the union in case the company is organized.”

The group stated thousands of workers are affected by actual and threatened mass layoffs, starting with the high profile dismissal of 300 employees at Philippine Airlines allegedly due to the impact of the covid epidemic. PM’s chapter in Cebu has reported that workers are being laid off or put on forced leaves in the Mactan Cebu ecozone. Likewise, hotels and restaurants in Region 7 are reeling from reduction in tourism.

Magtubo insisted that the DOLE’s existing advisory on flexible work arrangement must be replaced with a department order. “An order has the force of regulation that companies are mandated to follow while an advisory has no teeth and practically useless. Violation of the order should be subject to penalty.” he explained.

The group also proposed the following concrete measures:

1.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

2.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

4.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

5.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

6.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

7.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

March 11, 2020

DOLE asked to issue order on covid embodying worker-first policy

Photo from Philstar.com

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to issue a department order on covid embodying a “worker-first” policy. “In the face of an increasing number of mass layoffs by companies due allegedly to covid, a DOLE order is an urgent necessity. But order must put the interests of workers first. Manggagawa naman,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We do not accept management prerogative in implementing dismissals or flexible arrangements like forced leaves or work rotation. First of all, the DOLE must issue a determination that there is a real impact on the company. After which, any flexible work arrangement must be negotiated with duly-elected workers’ representatives or the union in case the company is organized.”

The group stated thousands of workers are affected by actual and threatened mass layoffs, starting with the high profile dismissal of 300 employees at Philippine Airlines allegedly due to the impact of the covid epidemic. PM’s chapter in Cebu has reported that workers are being laid off or put on forced leaves in the Mactan Cebu ecozone. Likewise, hotels and restaurants in Region 7 are reeling from reduction in tourism.

Magtubo insisted that the DOLE’s existing advisory on flexible work arrangement must be replaced with a department order. “An order has the force of regulation that companies are mandated to follow while an advisory has no teeth and practically useless. Violation of the order should be subject to penalty.” he explained.

The group also proposed the following concrete measures:

1.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

2.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

4.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

5.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

6.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

7.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.”

March 10, 2020

Employers asked to bear losses due to covid instead of passing costs to workers

Photo from esquiremag.ph

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on employers to shoulder temporary losses instead of laying off workers, implementing forced leaves or putting them on work rotation since these all result in income losses. This was their call in time for a tripartite meeting this afternoon convened by the Department of Labor and Employment on the employment impact of the covid outbreak.

“Employers have benefited from recent economic growth without sharing the bounty with their workers. This was revealed in a Department of Finance study showing labor productivity grew by at least 50 percent, yet real wages were stagnant from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, companies are about to benefit from less taxes with the CITIRA proposal. Now that there is a crisis, employers are morally obliged not to pass on the burden to their hapless workers,” asserted Judy Ann Miranda, PM Secretary-general.

She insisted that “We cannot accept that workers are the last to benefit from economic progress but the first to sacrifice in time of crisis. Women workers are also disproportionately impacted by permanent or temporary loss of employment and income.” This was also the demands of the International Women’s Day commemoration yesterday.

The group is also proposing the following mitigation measures to lessen the impact of covid on workers and the people:

1.      Release of a DOLE order—not just labor advisory—to mandate prior negotiation with workers before any flexible work arrangement is implemented;

2.      Paid leave for workers to be shouldered by employers and the government;

3.      Pay for workers put on forced quarantine to be shouldered by employers and the government;

4.      Implement work from home arrangements, in applicable jobs, without diminution of wages and benefits;

5.      Provision of personal protective equipment for all health and allied workers in the frontline of covid response;

6.      Living pension for senior citizens since the elderly are more prone to infection;

7.      Shift build-build-build budget to health in order to build more hospitals, provide testing and treatment facilities, hire more health workers;

8.      Health tax on the wealthy—as part of CITIRA—to fund universal health care.

Miranda also reported increasing number of workers are being put on forced leaves in the Mactan Cebu ecozone due to the global supply chain connection to China. Likewise, hotels and restaurants in Region 7 are reeling from reduced tourism and thus the threat of layoffs is looming.

March 9, 2020

Duterte plans to cripple if not kill SOT bill

Inquirer photo

In the face of the flip-flop over the Security of Tenure (SOT) bill, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed the plan to either “tweak” or “veto” the proposal that will lapse into law tomorrow.

“Not satisfied with an already watered-down SOT bill, Malacanang wants to cripple if not kill it. Between labor’s demand to end endo and the employers’ call to veto it, President Duterte seems bent on surrendering to the capitalist blackmail,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

He added that “We wish to remind the President that three months into his administration he forcefully warned employers that he will kill them for continuing with the practice of endo. Now that he is three years into his term, he has changed his tune by repeating the capitalist chorus that businesses will die if workers are made regular. Duterte’s promise to end endo is dead.”

The group also challenged Presidential Spokesperson Sal Panelo to resign from his post and stop confusing the public. “If Panelo was a contractual worker, he would have been terminated for all his bloopers. But such is the double standard of life. Public officials can laugh off their mistakes while endo workers suffer from job insecurity,” asserted Magtubo.

PM is asking Malacanang to explain the truth behind the copy of the veto. “What is the status of the veto of the SOT bill that is already signed by the President and validated by a barcode of Malacanang? Is this a Damocles sword for the workers to accept a mangled SOT bill in return for not it being vetoed?,” Magtubo asked.

26 July 2019

P25 is alms not relief to overworked yet underpaid NCR workers

DOLE Sec Bello announced this morning the P25 wage hike earlier leaked by ECOP as if it was a moment of glory for him. P25 is just alms not relief to overworked yet underpaid Filipino workers. P25 cannot compensate for the 7% runaway inflation in Metro Manila and real wage stagnation despite 50% productivity growth from 2001 to 2016.

The whole controversy about the NCR wage hike just proves that no matter how hard workers make a devotion to Santo Rodrigo, they will not be blessed with a sufficient wage order. The problem lies in the system of wage regionalization in which wage boards base their wage hikes on the capacity to pay of employers and not on the cost of living of workers.

P25 is short by 30% to make up for the P35.84 erosion in wages due to the 7% inflation in the NCR recorded in August this year. Partido Manggagawa’s own cost of living estimate for a family of five in Metro Manila is around P1,300 a day, more than double the new minimum wage of P537.

Even if the NCR wage board had ordered a P35.84 wage hike, it still means real wages are just frozen. But workers should partake of a just share in the fruits of production as mandated by the Constitution

Government and employers representatives control the majority of the regional wage boards and they connive to fix wage cheap on the argument of capacity to pay. Sec. Bello himself asserted today in the presscon, in response to questions, that wage hikes are tempered by the criteria of capacity to pay.

Why is it that when employers buy the labor power of workers, their capacity to pay is paramount but when workers buy their daily necessities, their capacity to buy is not considered? This is the double standard of capitalism!

This latest episode is a wakeup call for organized labor to unite around the call to abolish the wage boards and enact a new system of wage fixing that will implement the Constitutional mandate of a living wage for workers. The labor movement has shown the capacity to unite around the demand to end endo. It is high time to rally round the call for end wage regionalization.

November 5, 2018

Partido Manggagawa welcomes bicam approval of expanded maternity leave

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) welcomes the approval of the proposed Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) law by Congress’ bicameral conference committee. 

“It’s really the fruit of collective efforts. It became possible when women workers, trade unions and allies in Congress work hand in hand and doing campaigns in many forms just to make things done for the sake of women, their children and their families,” declared PM Secretary General Judy Miranda.   

Partido Manggagawa is part of Workers for EML (W4EML), a coalition of women groups in the trade union movement which pushed for the passage of EML in both houses of Congress.   

Once signed into law by the President, the current 60-day maternity leave benefits will be increased to 105 days. This is one week (7 days) higher than the ILO standard of 98 but it falls short of the 120 days approved by the Senate. 

The leave benefit is transferable. It also increases the paternity leave by 100% and gives additional 15 days for solo parent.  It likewise provides for benefit is 60-day leave benefits for cases of miscarriage or termination of pregnancy. 

The final version also mandates employers to cover the salary differential from the P16,000 maximum cap approved by SSS. It also removed the current limit of four pregnancies, adopting in effect the concept of freedom of choice in every instance of pregnancy. ###