Philippine labor

Senate’s P50,000 inflation aid sparks calls for livable wages for all 

Lance Spencer Yu

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Senate’s P50,000 inflation aid sparks calls for livable wages for all 

GOVERNMENT AID NEEDED. Healthcare workers picket the gates of the Senate on October 3, 2022, to demand government support to the health sector. The protesters also asked legislators to investigate the remaining balanve from 2020-2021 contingency funds that cover unpaid benefits.

Rappler.com

While labor groups praise the Senate's move, they also urge the government to provide wage hikes and allowances to all workers grappling with inflation

MANILA, Philippines – Several labor unions clamored for the government to extend wider financial assistance to all employees, following the announcement of a P50,000 “inflationary assistance” for Senate employees.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier announced that Senate employees would receive one-time inflation and medical assistance benefits of up to P50,000 in August, and P50,000 more in medical assistance in September. This would be sourced from the Senate’s savings.

While labor groups and the Senate employees’ union hailed the move as a victory, they also renewed calls to help all employees struggling to cope with inflation.

“Inflation is a harsh reality that the Senate leadership recognized and gave immediate relief to its employees promptly. The usual refrain is expected: Sana all (With it were for all)!” Federation of Free Workers national president Sonny Matula told Rappler on Wednesday, February 22.

“We need the Marcos admin to act now to alleviate the flight of the workers,” added Matula, who is also the NAGKAISA chairperson.

The labor leader said that the government could consider rolling out non-monetary interventions to provide workers with immediate relief, such as preventing LRT-MRT fare hikes, reducing parking fees, imposing price control on essential goods, and providing aid to businesses.

“Such measures will complement our demand for wage hike before the regional wage boards or in Congress, or while we are still organizing workers for collective bargaining to increase wages at the plant level,” Matula said.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. also hoped that the victory of Senate employees could nudge the government to provide the same benefits to all government employees.

“The inflation allowance is well deserved as the Senate union fought for it. The only question is: Why can’t the government do the same for other employees who are also reeling from rising inflation? Let the government provide the same allowance for other government employees,” Reyes told Rappler.

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Wage hikes and allowances

While wage hikes are being worked out, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) suggested that the government could provide emergency cost of living allowances as a form of immediate relief.

“The TUCP urges the regional wage boards to issue ECOLA orders to alleviate the plight of our workers without impairing the viability and sustainability of business and industry in the region. ECOLA orders have been ordered several times before and across the regions. This is the immediate intervention necessitated by the surging inflation,” the TUCP said in a statement on Tuesday, February 21.

The TUCP also proposed giving a one-time financial assistance of P5,000 to the 4 million minimum wage earners, funds for which could be sourced “from the government fund and/or Presidential Social Fund.”

Reyes also emphasized that wage hikes were the “equitable and just” way to counter the effect of inflation on salaries.

“There have been demands for a substantial wage hike for private sector workers and we support this. Government employees have also sought a new round of salary increases and this has been filed before Congress. This is a more equitable and just response to the erosion of the value of wages and salaries,” Reyes told Rappler.

For instance, Reyes pointed to a bill filed by the House Makabayan bloc that seeks to set the minimum wage of government employees to P33,000 per month.

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Senate union supports wage hikes

The Senate employees’ union – Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO) – explained that the P50,000 inflationary assistance granted to them was the result of a decades-long struggle for added benefits. 

But even with this benefit, the union lamented that the current minimum wage is still far from the family living wage of P1,161 a day.

Sa konteksto ng nakabubuhay na suweldo at disenteng pamumuhay, malayung-malayo ang kasalukuyang suweldo upang mabuhay nang disente ang mga manggagawa at maliliit na kawani,” SENADO said in a statement.

(In the context of a livable wage, the current wage for rank-and-file workers is still far from the level that would allow for a decent living standard.)

Sa aming tagumpay na nakamit, umaasa kami na ito ay magiging pamantayan ng lahat – manggagawa man sa pribadong sektor o kawaning publiko,”  SENADO added.

(Through our victory, we hope that this becomes the standard for all – whether they’re workers from the private or public sector.)

Similarly, the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) also urged the government to follow the example of the Senate and provide across the board assistance to all employees.

“Senate President Zubiri’s statement calling for increasing the inflation assistance provided to Senate staff is a welcome development. However, we would like to emphasize that inflationary pressures are felt across Philippine society,” SENTRO said in a press release on Wednesday.

“If we can spare resources to shield our legislative staff, why can’t the same be said for the rest of the public sector, as well as those working in the private sector?”

SENTRO said all the Marcos administration has to do to “to show their concern for working people is to issue EOs/AOs calling for increased benefits in the public sector, as well as the legislation that will provide living wages for all workers.” – Rappler.com

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Lance Spencer Yu

Lance Spencer Yu is a multimedia reporter who covers the transportation, tourism, infrastructure, finance, agriculture, and corporate sectors, as well as macroeconomic issues.