Duterte told to raise wages, lower prices
The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALUTUCP) said that troubled workers and their families expect the president to raise their salaries, bring down prices, end contractualization, make workplaces safer and bring down unemployment and underemployment in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow.
The ALU-TUCP, in a statement, said that President Rodrigo Duterte's SONA must give hope to troubled workers and families, provide reallife economic relief and empowerment.
ALU-TUCP said that workers can no longer afford to feed their families and are faced with the continuing erosion of wages, as the prices of basic goods and services continue to surge.
It added that contractualized work arrangement practice such as Endo (End-of-Contract) and other fixed-term jobs were not effectively addressed by Duterte's signing of Executive Order No. 51, but rather these practices continue unabated and there is swelling unemployment and underemployment.
"It is therefore crucial for President Duterte in his SONA as a leader of this nation and a father of the Filipino people during these troubled times to restore hope to workers and their families and provide a clear framework for our country to move forward which would ensure genuine inclusive growth,” read the statement.
Two years into his term, Duterte brought the country's GDP at 6.7% and with the "Build, Build, Build" program of the administration, there is promise that additional employment decent jobs with decent wages can be created in the next four years.
"But we appeal to the president in the light of the overall economic predicament of our poorest people now, to consider reform policies which will bring economic relief. Now is the time to take executive actions that would address the root causes of our misery and rally our people toward some pragmatic solutions," the statement further read.
Workers and their families believe that now is the time for the president to translate his “Tunay na Pagbabago” contract with the people by:
1) Making high economic growth inclusive by certifying as urgent the passage of the Security of Tenure Bill filed by TUCP Party-List Representative Raymond Mendoza;
2) Provide social safety net program to workers by approving the P500 monthly subsidy proposed by ALUTUCP designed to help four million minimum-wage earners cope with the rising prices and increasing costs of services; and
3) Adjust the daily minimum wage rates in all 17 regional wage boards above the poverty threshold levels to help mitigate the impact of inflation triggered by rising oil prices, unscrupulous businessmen, and the after effects of the TRAIN 1 Law.
The ALU-TUCP further said that it is prepared to do its share with the private sector, the government and the president in working for a better, fairer, and more decent life for all Filipinos.