Valenzuela solon first target of picket spree for P125 wage hike

MANILA, Philippines - The chairman of the Lower House's labor committee will be the first target of militant workers' "picket spree" to push for a special session of Congress to pass a bill for a P125 wage hike. Militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said this as it rejected the recently signed tax exemption bill to help minimum-wage workers cope with rising costs of living. "KMU is set to picket Congress Labor Committee Head Magtanggol Guinigundo's residence in Valenzuela tomorrow (Thursday) to push for a special session of Congress on the P125 bill," it said on its Web site (www.kilusangmayouno.org) late Wednesday. It added a tax exemption cannot replace a substantial legislated across-the-board wage hike. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Tuesday a law granting tax exemptions for minimum wage earners. "Thanks, but no thanks. The tax exemption for minimum wage earners cannot be a substitute to our demand for a substantial legislated across-the-board wage hike," said KMU executive vice chairman Joselito Ustarez to the recent passage of the tax exemption law for minimum wage earners. "While we welcome any augmentation in wages, the P33 to P35 expected additional take-home pay from the tax exemption is still highly insufficient to meet the daily cost of living," he added. Ustarez cited militant think tank IBON Foundation's figures showing the P382 NCR minimum wage is only 38% of the P871 current living wage in the area, down from 46% of the living wage in January last year. "Considering the steady upward spiraling of prices, and the insignificant adjustment granted by the regional wage boards, the urgency for a legislated across-the-board P125 wage hike is not lessened in any way even with the passage of tax exemption law," he said. He also said minimum wage earners only comprise 2.8 million out of the 36 million in the labor force. Regional wage boards also effected a measly P7 to P20 adjustments in basic pay or COLA this month, he noted. Ustarez also reminded the Arroyo administration that it does not deserve gratitude for the tax exemption law. "Whatever benefits we reap now, it is born out of the struggle of the workers and people for substantial wage hike and decent living. Government only yielded partially to our protests," he said. "So this is not the time to be contented and to loosen up, rather, we should further intensify our campaign for a substantial wage increase. There is still a big disparity between the P33-35 from the tax exemption compared to the P125 wage hike we have demanding for years now," he said. Meanwhile, the KMU branded as idiotic and irresponsible the Arroyo administration's blaming of the influx of new graduates to rising unemployment. KMU spokesman Prestoline Suyat said it is government's responsibility in the first place to see to it that the youth finish their education up to college. "College graduates even comprise only 10% of those who were able to enter elementary school. How dare Arroyo treat them now as a burden," he said. The National Statistics Office reported recently that unemployment rate rose to 8% in April this year from 7.4 percent in April 2007. The pronouncement blaming new graduates was one of the first statements to come from newly appointed press secretary Jesus Dureza, Suyat noted. "The new press sectary has done a good job. He has just ruined further the Presidents' image," Suyat added. Suyat also said that "unemployment rose even with the government-twisted categorization of employment." He said the government does not abide to International Labor Organization's definition that those who are available but not looking for work are considered as unemployed. The government reported only 2.6 million unemployed for the past year, but IBON foundation estimates the figure to be really at 4 million. "Arroyo failed to meet its promise of creating one and a half million jobs a year, forcing it to redefine the meaning of unemployment, and to cite ridiculous reasons for the cause of such," he said. Only an estimated 168,000 jobs were generated from April 2007 to April this year, he added. - GMANews.TV