Labor groups lament continued rise in inflation

Labor groups on Wednesday lamented the continued rise in inflation.

Rene Magtubo of Partido Manggawa said the continued rise in inflation makes life harder for workers and their families.

(Czar Dancel/ MANILA BULLETIN)

“The continued rise in inflation makes life of ordinary workers’ families harder, struggling daily to make both ends meet against rising prices of rice and other basic commodities,” he said in a statement.

Magtubo urged the government to provide “immediate relief” by making available to low income wage earners discounted price of rice and other basic commodities.

This, he said is aside from a legislated across the board wage increase to address the widening gap between workers’ average wage and the present cost of living.

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) condemned government incompetence and lack of social safety net initiatives to help workers cope with rising prices of basic commodities and surging costs of utilities and services.

“It looks like government officials especially those some appointed to the Executive Department including President Duterte’s economic managers are incompetent to provide mitigating measures to relief workers affected by the incredible increases in the prices of goods and services. Are the Duterte cabinet officials still working for workers, the people?” said ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay in a separate statement.

He said there is no existing initiative from Duterte administration to provide social safety net programs to ameliorate both those workers who have fallen into deeper poverty and those who are about to fall due to rising cost of living and falling value of wages.

Tanjusay said government should have been implementing targeted approach to ran after and prosecute profiteers nationwide who unnecessarily jack up the prices and help induce inflation.

“Government should have also provided safety net programs to various types of workers affected by rising cost of living,” he said.

“Employers and business owners, on the other hand, seems cold and unsympathetic to the plight of their economically distressed employees. Responsible employers and conscientious business owners take care of their workers and not wait or just depend on government assistance,” Tanjusay added.

Based on the group’s monitoring and evaluation of the inflation versus the daily minimum wage, the average total daily minimum wage nationwide fell to P200 a day effective September 1 from P208.83 in June 2018. -By Leslie Ann Aquino