FILE PHOTO: Office workers (UNTV News)
MANILA, Philippines — The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition no longer expects any improvement in the lives of the workers until the end of President Aquino’s term.
According to Annie Geron, the coalition’s convener, there has been no improvement in the lives of the Filipino workers in the past 5 years of Pres. Aquino’s term and nothing can be expected as well in the last year of his term.
Geron said, “Hindi na kami nagkakaroon ng ilusyon na mayroon pa siyang gawin sa loob ng isang taon kasi kung talagang mayroon siyang gustong gawin, ang haba ng limang taon para niya ipatupad yung sinabi niya. Ito ay bahagi ng social contract yung 22-point agenda niya na pumirma siya. Ito ang tinatawag na social contract ni PNoy sa mga manggagawang Filipino.”
(We don’t harbor any illusions anymore that he (President Aquino) plans to do anything within the year. If he really wanted to do something, five years was long enough to keep his word. This is part of the social contract, 22-point agenda that he signed. This is PNoy’s social contract with the Filipino workers)
Geron further added that although Malacañang is ready to speak with the labor sector, it is however not receptive to their requests and suggestion to change labor policies.
One of their requests to Malacañang is to certify as urgent the security of tenure bill, but until now the palace has no response to this.
The proposed bill is the solution being seen by the group to resolve the widespread contractualization of the labor force in the country.
However, the group stated that even the 22-point agenda which the palace itself laid down in 2010 was not fulfilled.
In our assessment last Saturday, nothing really was fulfilled even in the 22-point agenda which he himself stated.
The palace failed as well to give the long standing request for living wage of the workers.
Despite the minor increase in the minimum wage which is P404 in 2010 to P481 this year, the group says that it was so negligible compared to the price increase in commodity and services.
Ms. Geron added, “Hindi makakasapat talaga eh. So yung hinihinging tamang sweldo o living wage ay malayong malayo dito sa ibinibigay.”
(It is really not enough. The appropriate salary or living wage we were asking for is truly incomparable to what is being given to us)
This coming Friday, May 1, the group will pour out their sentiments through a protest rally to call for justice for the Filipino workers. (RODERIC MENDOZA / UNTV News)