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KMU hits anti-worker gov’t stance

BAGUIO CITY (May 7) — The Kilusang Mayo Uno-Cordillera (KMU-Cordillera), speaking for Cordillera workers, denounced “another anti-worker stand of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her cohorts in Malacañang on the P125 legislated wage hike which was approved on its second reading in the house of congress” as it called on GMA to resign from the presidency.

The labor group is not happy over the turnout of the legislated wage hikes bill in Congress threatening that any move by the government to block the legislated wage hike proposal will be politically costly for Arroyo.

“Arroyo is anti-worker and anti-poor,” the KMU-Cordillera said in its statement. “She does not care at all about the welfare and democratic rights the workers are fighting for,” the statement reads adding that impoverished workers have been asking a nationwide across the board P125 wage increase more since more than five years ago. KMU-Cordillera wanted GMA to understand the workers’ demand for such additional amounts to their pegged incomes.

KMU-Cordillera rationalized GMA’s absence of support for the long decade-long clamor for wage hikes of Filipino workers, saying, “Doing such will cause her the confidence of her capitalist allies and will lessen her chances of clinging to her stolen presidency”. She can never be trusted in her words for any wage increases, the KMU-Cordillera statement said further.

Earlier, KMU national Secretary-general Joel Maglunsod hit Romulo Neri of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for mouthing business alibis against wage hike demands.

Neri argued that the proposed P125 wage increase would displace workers and would cause inflation. According to reports, Neri said 288,000 to 620,000 workers would lose their jobs once the first tranche of the increase was granted while another 225,000 to 424,000 would be laid off when the second tranche was paid out, and 210,000 to 365,000 would be cut once the third tranche was granted.

“What Neri said is outrageous. The job loss projection from NEDA will not be resulted by wage hikes, but in fact will be resulted by flexible labor policies outlined in corporate restructuring and reorganization policies of companies. Neri has no right in saying that a P125 legislated wage hike is anti-worker. Who is anti-worker? Neri should look straight in front of a mirror to know this or better just look at the faces of the people at Malacañang,” the labor leader said.

“The phenomenon of unemployment and massive displacement is due to labor “contractualization” and other flexible labor policies. Labor “flexibilization” refers to innovations in work organizations which includes labor-only contracting, subcontracting, hiring of casuals and contractuals. This anti-worker policy advocates the cheapest and most docile labor which benefits only local and foreign companies in search for super profits. This is presently practiced in many firms to cut down on costs, amplify productivity, gain market share and greater profits. With this, workers receive lower wages with no or less benefits.”

Meanwhile, KMU-Cordillera spokesperson Nida Tundagui called on congressmen supporting the P125 wage hike to be honorable enough not to be dictated by GMA’s Malacañang cohorts and to hold on their intelligent resolution on the wage bill.

Tundagui also called on workers not only here in the Cordillera to strengthen their ranks in rallying behind the P125 wage hike.

“We should unite in guarding the advancement of our legitimate demands for democratic rights and welfare. After all, the triumphs of such struggles lie in our hands,” Tundagui said. # Aldwin Quitasol for NORDIS

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