ALL workers are in need of the government’s help in combating the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities.
This was the message sent by the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) to the national government, adding the Filipino working class are suffering from meager wages while prices of commodities are continuously on the rise.
“We continue to grapple with the pressures caused by rising inflation and stagnant wages. The problem is shared by all Filipino workers, with some sectors faring worse than others,” the group said in a statement.
“In this context, it only makes sense for the Philippine government to take steps that will protect the entirety of the Filipino working class,” it added.
The labor group said they believe that assistance to workers will be possible if government leaders will choose to be compassionate.
This, it said, includes the provision of across-the-board wage hikes, inflation assistance measures, and other proposals to protect worker’s living standards.
“Protect all Filipino workers by increasing wages and other forms of social protection for both public and private sector workers, including contractual and job order employees,” the group said.
“With all the powers at their disposal, improving people’s living standards is more of a matter of political will than technical feasibility,” it added.
The statement was issued after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri announced that all Senate employees will receive a one-time P50,000 inflation allowance for 2023.
This comes amid the repeated calls by the labor sector for a wage increase due to the soaring inflation rate in the country.
In a separate statement, the Partido Manggagawa (PM) asked Zubiri to sponsor a legislated salary hike bill in the Senate and not just focus on helping Senate employees.
“The labor movement must link up arms to fight for a wage increase for wage recovery, and the working class needs champions in and out of Congress,” it said.
“The imperative is for immediate relief for workers through a legislated wage hike, which Congress has the power to enact,” it added.
A P100 across-the-board nationwide wage increase has long been pushed by the labor sector.
