NCR labor groups seek P200 wage increase, calls to end contractualization and urban militarization

Three days before the usual day celebration of Bonifacio Day on November 30, various labor groups from the National Capital Region (NCR) called for a minimum wage hike of at least 200 pesos at the assembly of Wage Increase Now – NCR (WIN-NCR) at the University Hotel, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. 

In a press conference led by Defend Jobs Philippines (DJP) and Kilusang Mayo Uno – National Capital Region (KMU-NCR), workers’ groups emphasized the need for a salary increase as inflation skyrocketed during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration. 

“Sa mahigit isang taon ni Bongbong Marcos tumindi ‘yung economic crisis sa bansa, lalong naghirap yung mga Pilipino. Tuloy tuloy na tumaas ang mga presyo ng batayang pagkain ultimo pinaka basic na pangangailangan natin,” said KMU Secretary General Jerome Adonis.

[In more than a year of Bongbong Marcos, the economic crisis in the country intensified, the Filipinos became poorer and poorer. The prices of basic food, our most basic needs, have continued to rise.]

Adonis also said that the approved 40 pesos minimum wage last June this year is not enough to aid the needs of labor workers as prices of goods continues to increase. 

He urged the government to take action on Republic Act (RA) 6727, often known as the “Wage Rationalization Act,” of 1989 which aims to “rationalize the fixing of minimum wages” which includes the creation of Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) on every region. 

The RTWPB set and fix minimum wage rates applicable to their region. But not all workers benefit from wage increases approved to the RTWPB as their rulings are applicable to minimum wage earners, Adonis said.

“For example sa Metro Manila, 40 pesos ang dinadagdag. Bago ito,  570. Kung ang sahod ko 571, logically hindi ako madadagdagan, mas mataas ako sa minimum wage. Kaya lumilikha pa siya ng away,” he said. 

[For example, in Metro Manila, 40 pesos was added to the daily minimum wage. Before that, the minimum wage was set at 570 pesos. If my minimum wage is at 571 pesos already, then I will not get an increase anymore. This creates divisions among workers.]

Contractual workers, which comprise around 80% of the labor force in Metro Manila according to KMU NCR, are also not included in the minimum wage increases and they may be paid lower than the minimum wage set by the RTWPB.

The groups also challenged Marcos Jr. to engage with them to prove that he is not like his father, the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and ex-President Rodrigo Duterte. They believed Marcos Jr. should sign an executive order granting the wage increase for all Filipino workers that will set wages at 1,100 pesos per day. 

The KMU secretary-general concluded his speech by announcing a call for a protest action on November 30. The group will march on Taft Avenue back to Kalaw Avenue and will pass through Ayala until reaching Mendiola to hold the final program of the event. 

The groups believed Andres Bonifacio fought against Spanish colonists during his time, and now, despite no foreigners sitting in the government, the terms of policies are followed therefore Filipinos are not completely free. 

“Kaya ang November 30 natin ay kalayaan laban sa kahirapan. Kalayaan laban sa karahasan. Kalayaan laban sa imperyalismong Estados Unidos,” he ended. 

Manibela Chairman Malvar Valbuena said that the transport sector stands in solidarity with the labor groups. He shared that if the salary is too low while the fare is so expensive, the wages of workers will be depleted by their fare epxenses.   

Valbuena also stated that a wage hike is urgent because many Filipinos are in debt and their salaries are too low, and their expenses and needs are more than double what they earn.

“Isa lamang ang sasabihin ko, kaya kami lumalaban para hindi madagdagan ang pahirap ng taong bayan. Kaya tayo lumalaban (ay) para maibsan yung paghihirap ng taong bayan. Ang liit na ng sahod, ang mahal na ng bilihin tapos mahal pa ang pamasahe. Saan pupulutin si Juan Dela Cruz,” he pointed out. 

[I will say only one thing, that is we are fighting so that we can alleviate the suffering of the people. The wages are low, the goods are expensive and the fare is even more expensive. Where will that leave Juan Dela Cruz?]

In a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a family of five needs a minimum income of P12,030 to cover basic non-food and food expenses. However, the National Wages and Productivity Commission reported that the average minimum wage in the Philippines is only P8,902 per month, P3,000 short of the ideal minimum income presented by PSA. 

‘It’s not enough’ 

Emily Sanchez, 53, a wife of a minimum wage earner expressed that her husband’s P1,500 income a week is hardly enough to support their family. 

“Ang inuuwing pera ng asawa ko ay malinis na 1,500 eh nagbabayad kami ng kuryente, bumibili kami ng bigas eh magkano ang bigas ngayon. Hindi kaya. Lalo na’t may mga anak pa. Hindi kaya talaga,” she explained.

[The money my husband brings home is 1,500 pesos, which we use to pay electricity, we buy rice, and rice is so costly now. We can’t make ends meet. Especially since we still have little children. We really can’t.]

Emily urged the government to raise the minimum salary of the labor workers to make it enough to support a family. She also encouraged the public to join their call for a just and living wage.

“Sana itaas nga ang sahod ng manggagawa kasi  ang liit ng sahod. ’Di ko nga alam kung paano pagkakasyahin kasi minsan nakakautang pa sa tindahan, ‘di nababayaran,” she said.

[I hope the worker’s wages will be raised because the wages are low. I don’t even know how to make ends meet and sometimes I still owe money to the store, which I am then unable to pay.]

Dan, 71, from Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR) shared the same sentiment. 

According to him, the current minimum wage is inadequate, especially with the persisting increase in food prices. 

“Kailanman hindi sumasapat. Kahit na gawin nating P1,000 a day, hindi sumasapat. Sa itinaas ngayon ng mga batayang bilihin ay malayong malayo na paano pa kapag may pinag-aaral? paano pa kapag may inuupahang bahay? Anong kakainin nila? Hindi magkakasya talaga,” he asserted. 

[The minimum wage was never enough. Even if we make it P1,000 a day, it’s not enough. With today’s raised prices of basic commodities, it’s so out of reach, what more if you have children to send to school? What if you are only renting a house? What will they eat? It’s not enough.]