With only a few weeks before Labor Day, militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) pushed for the passage of a bill that seeks to increase workers’ wage.
KMU chairperson Elmer Labog said the passage of House Bill 257 or the P125 Wage Hike Bill will provide employees with the additional income to cope with the increasing commodity prices.
He issued the statement after alleging the government and some organizations are issuing studies and policies to "demonize” minimum wage.
Citing the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Labog said minimum wage rates in the country are hindering the growth of businesses.
He also included the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DoLE) Two-Tier Wage system, which he said reduced the minimum wage in Southern Tagalog where it was pilot-tested.
"Less than a month before Labor Day, there should be talk right now of increasing the minimum wage. Instead, we are hearing vicious attacks against the minimum wage coming from the Aquino government and big capitalists’ groups,” Labog said.
"We vow to intensify our struggle for a significant wage hike, such as the P125 across-the-board wage hike nationwide that we have been clamoring for,” he added.
DoLE earlier ruled out the possibility of the implementation of new wage hike in National Capital Region (NCR) on Labor Day.
