TUCP to gov’t: Pay us back while we’re alive, not after we die

THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is stupefied over President Aquino’s issuance of Presidential Executive Order 167 approving the increase in funeral and disability benefits for both public and private sector workers for as long as government institutions can finance them.

“The act of President Aquino issuing an executive order raising funeral and pension benefits as long as government has the money is a cold and surprising presidential prank for workers looking forward to a restful weekend after a week of hard work. Pinipersonal na yata ng pangulo kaming mga manggagawa matapos magtrabaho upang buhayin ang kanyang pamilya at paunlarin ang ating bansa,” said TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

“Workers desperately need cash right now. We are desperate for a living wage and decent social protection benefits in raising and educating their children, and caring for our elderly. We demand government to pay us back for building our nation’s wealth during our lifetime and not after we die or when our bodies gives in,” he stressed adding: “At bakit kailangang hintayin pa na magkapera ang gobyerno at doon lamang magtataas ng pensyon at benepisyo?”

Aquino signed the order on May 26 directing the Employee’s Compensation Commission (ECC) to implement, as soon as they have money, ECC resolutions 13-07-14 and 13-11-37 in July and November 2013 approving the increase in funeral benefits from P10,000 to P20,000 for both private and public sector workers and a 10% across-the-board increase in pension only for the private sector.

In the Labor day dialogue with TUCP and other labor groups last month, labor groups asked Aquino to direct Commissioner Kim Henares to enhance fringe and de minimis benefit tax exemptions and remove government E-VAT on systems loss in the electricity cost as government effort to give workers more disposable income.

The demands are among the eight issues raised by the labor sector for Aquino to act on to improve workers’ well-being. - Journal.com.ph