MANILA - The Trade union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Thursday filed a petition asking the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board–National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) to increase the P466 daily minimum wage of workers in Metro Manila by P136.
TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the real value of the peso has eroded by an estimated 35 percent due to a variety of inflationary factors, including the consumer price index, tuition, the recent MRT/LRT fare hike, and the impending water and electricity rate increases.
"The real value of the current P466 minimum wage is P299 only. It cannot sustain the needs of a family. As a result, many employed workers fall through the cracks and join the growing ranks of the working poor," he said.
"Thus, we are asking the board to make possible a 'living' minimum wage. We particularly appeal to employers to grant our petition," Tanjusay added.
The RTWPB-NCR held a wage consultation Thursday as part of the process of determining the salary rates in Metro Manila.
During discussion, TUCP presented a position paper demanding the wage hike.
"Minimum wage earners are now dubbed the 'working poor.' It has been 25 years after the last legislated wage hike through the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, it is high time that minimum wage earners recover some of the lost value of the Peso and strengthen their eroded purchasing power," it stated.
TUCP said that workers their families have long been suffering from the spiraling cost of basic commodities and services, including food, transportation, electricity and water.
"We do not even count on our need for clothing, shelter, education and healthcare, which seem to have become a luxury for the poor and a privilege for the few. A decent life is a human right that should be enjoyed by all," it said.
"It should also be noted that this is the right time to grant the wage increase when the economy is good as government data shows," TUCP articulated.
Since 2010, growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaged about 6.3 percent. The inflation rate on the other hand averaged at 4.1 percent in 2014.
Between December 2013 and December 2014, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose from 136.8 to 140.5 or the equivalent of 2.7%.
TUCP cautioned that, due to the continuing increases in the cost of electricity, water, transportation, among others, consumer prices between January and December 2015 are expected to rise further by another 10 percent.
"Workers cannot be denied an increase now. The fruits of our booming economy should not only be enjoyed by a few rich families. We do not ask for lavish increase. We only ask for what is due our workers. What we ask is a modest share from the gains of the booming economy," the group said.
"The P136 across-the-board and region-wide daily increase is essential if workers are to cope with the increasing prices of commodities and cost of living, if they are to meet the basic needs of their families – even if only partially – and if the country is to give meaning and substance to the policy of equitable distribution of income and wealth," TUCP added. - InterAksyon.com
Thursday, January 29, 2015
TUCP seeks P136 minimum wage hike
MANILA – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP) and the Trade Union Congress Party-list is seeking an P136 increase to the current P466 minimum wage for workers in Metro Manila.
TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the current minimum wage can no longer sustain needs of a family, arguing that the real value of the peso has been eroded by 35 percent due to several factors including consumer price index, tuition fees, the recent Metro Rail Transit/Light Rail Transit fare hike, and the impending water and electricity rate increases.
“The real value of the current P466 minimum wage is P299 only. It cannot sustain the needs of a family. As a result, many employed workers fall through the cracks and join the growing ranks of the working poor. Thus, we are asking the board to give a ‘living’ minimum wage. We particularly appeal to employers to grant our petition,” Tanjusay said.
Rep. Raymond Mendoza, meanwhile, cited a “social discrepancy” between the country’s economic growth and wages of workers.
“We have been experiencing growth in our economy but the workers who worked hard for it are wallowing in poverty. They have jobs and most are employed yet they do not benefit the development. This is highly unfair and grossly unjust to workers and their families. It is a social discrepancy that needs urgent attention from government and employers must take seriously into consideration,” he said.
TUCP made the appeal at the panel’s review of the current wage rate held Wednesday in Pasay City.
The board is composed of three government representatives, one each from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and two each from the labor and employers’ sectors.
The review process will take about a maximum of two months before deciding on the lawful amount. - ABS-CBNnews.com
TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the current minimum wage can no longer sustain needs of a family, arguing that the real value of the peso has been eroded by 35 percent due to several factors including consumer price index, tuition fees, the recent Metro Rail Transit/Light Rail Transit fare hike, and the impending water and electricity rate increases.
“The real value of the current P466 minimum wage is P299 only. It cannot sustain the needs of a family. As a result, many employed workers fall through the cracks and join the growing ranks of the working poor. Thus, we are asking the board to give a ‘living’ minimum wage. We particularly appeal to employers to grant our petition,” Tanjusay said.
Rep. Raymond Mendoza, meanwhile, cited a “social discrepancy” between the country’s economic growth and wages of workers.
“We have been experiencing growth in our economy but the workers who worked hard for it are wallowing in poverty. They have jobs and most are employed yet they do not benefit the development. This is highly unfair and grossly unjust to workers and their families. It is a social discrepancy that needs urgent attention from government and employers must take seriously into consideration,” he said.
TUCP made the appeal at the panel’s review of the current wage rate held Wednesday in Pasay City.
The board is composed of three government representatives, one each from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and two each from the labor and employers’ sectors.
The review process will take about a maximum of two months before deciding on the lawful amount. - ABS-CBNnews.com
Friday, January 23, 2015
Negligence, child labor seen in Bulacan warehouse accident
The labor department is pursuing the responsible firms: Hoclim Co Construction Corporation and its client Number One Golden Dragon Realty Corporation, with addresses in Quezon City
MANILA, Philippines – Two firms behind the construction of a Bulacan warehouse, whose partial collapse claimed 12 lives including 2 minors and a pregnant woman, "could be liable" of negligence and child labor, a state probe found.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued a cease-and-desist (CD) order against the warehouse's construction firm, said DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Wednesday, January 21.
The right wall of the warehouse in Ilang-Ilang villlage in Guiguinto town fell over workers' quarters on Monday, January 19.
A 14-year-old and a 7-year-old are among the 12 dead in the accident, with the former found out to be employed by the construction firm.
The firm Hoclim Co Construction Corporation and its client Number One Golden Dragon Realty Corporation – both with office addresses in Quezon City – also operated without a permit, the investigation found.
They have yet to appear and own up to their obligations, and have no response teams, no supervising personnel like engineers and safety officers in charge of construction work, DOLE alleged.
They "shall be held jointly and solidarily for all the violations related to the health and safety and the welfare of the victims," the DOLE statement read further.
Baldoz urged Congress to enact a law with heavy penalties for violators of the country’s health and safety laws, as the Labor Code does not provide criminal penalty for such non-compliance with some safety and health regulations.
Compensation demanded
Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) blamed contractual employment schemes for the incident. They said these kinds of setup allow "contractors like the Golden Dragon to subject their workers to hazardous working conditions."
For allowing such schemes, the government's action is tantamount to a "criminal neglect" of workers' health and safety," the group claimed.
"Contractualization removes the employer-employee relationship between labor contractors and their workers hence freeing them of any obligations to abide by the health and safety standards and worse, frees them of any liability in case such tragic accidents happen," KMU's statement read.
"It has always been a profiteering scheme for these construction contractors to disregard workers’ safety to maximize profits," the group warned.
Baldoz ordered DOLE Metro Manila Director Alex Avila to locate the two companies involved, and DOLE Regional Director Ana Dione to ensure that these companies pay their employees' monetary and social benefits.
The companies have been required to show proof of financial assistance to the victims’ families and of payment of salaries and remittances for Social Security System, PhilHealth, and PagIBIG contributions.
Gerard Seno, executive vice president of labor federation Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, pushed for separate charges to be filed if the companies failed to provide workers' benefits. – Buena Bernal / Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – Two firms behind the construction of a Bulacan warehouse, whose partial collapse claimed 12 lives including 2 minors and a pregnant woman, "could be liable" of negligence and child labor, a state probe found.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued a cease-and-desist (CD) order against the warehouse's construction firm, said DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Wednesday, January 21.
 |
| Filipino rescuer workers search for possibly trapped bodies in a collapsed warehouse building in the Guiguinto town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines, 19 January 2015. Eleven people, including a pregnant women, were reportedly killed and four others injured when the wall of a warehouse collapsed, police said. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO |
The right wall of the warehouse in Ilang-Ilang villlage in Guiguinto town fell over workers' quarters on Monday, January 19.
A 14-year-old and a 7-year-old are among the 12 dead in the accident, with the former found out to be employed by the construction firm.
The firm Hoclim Co Construction Corporation and its client Number One Golden Dragon Realty Corporation – both with office addresses in Quezon City – also operated without a permit, the investigation found.
They have yet to appear and own up to their obligations, and have no response teams, no supervising personnel like engineers and safety officers in charge of construction work, DOLE alleged.
They "shall be held jointly and solidarily for all the violations related to the health and safety and the welfare of the victims," the DOLE statement read further.
Baldoz urged Congress to enact a law with heavy penalties for violators of the country’s health and safety laws, as the Labor Code does not provide criminal penalty for such non-compliance with some safety and health regulations.
Compensation demanded
Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) blamed contractual employment schemes for the incident. They said these kinds of setup allow "contractors like the Golden Dragon to subject their workers to hazardous working conditions."
For allowing such schemes, the government's action is tantamount to a "criminal neglect" of workers' health and safety," the group claimed.
"Contractualization removes the employer-employee relationship between labor contractors and their workers hence freeing them of any obligations to abide by the health and safety standards and worse, frees them of any liability in case such tragic accidents happen," KMU's statement read.
"It has always been a profiteering scheme for these construction contractors to disregard workers’ safety to maximize profits," the group warned.
Baldoz ordered DOLE Metro Manila Director Alex Avila to locate the two companies involved, and DOLE Regional Director Ana Dione to ensure that these companies pay their employees' monetary and social benefits.
The companies have been required to show proof of financial assistance to the victims’ families and of payment of salaries and remittances for Social Security System, PhilHealth, and PagIBIG contributions.
Gerard Seno, executive vice president of labor federation Associated Labor Unions-TUCP, pushed for separate charges to be filed if the companies failed to provide workers' benefits. – Buena Bernal / Rappler.com
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Spa owners want House probe into DOH training
CEBU, Philippines - Some spa and wellness operators in Cebu are calling for a congressional inquiry into the controversial massage therapy training required by the Department of Health.
The request was coursed through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-7, said Art Barrit, spokesman of the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), who sits as TESDA board member representing the labor sector.
“I received a lot of requests from different operators of spa calling for a meeting and they requested us to bring this matter to our partylist representative of TUCP, Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, to conduct congressional inquiry regarding the implementation of this program,” said Barrit during the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.
Barrit was reacting to the report of Consul Robert Lim Joseph that non-accredited masseurs in Boracay Island were already apprehended and made to pay P2,500 fine.
“They are criminalizing these masseurs and they would have to pay P2,500. What will happen to the cost of massage in the wellness program for the Philippines? This will happen here in Cebu and in Manila,” Joseph said.
Operator of Ton Ton Thai Massage chain, Joseph is the secretary general of the Philippine Organization of Wellness Establishments and Resources.
“Kulang na nga ng trabaho, nabigyan na ng TESDA, here is another agency which says they cannot work. It is against the poor,” said Joseph.
Barrit pointed out that TESDA, rather than DOH, even has a stringent rule regarding the operationalization of “hilot” wellness massage.
Prior to the conduct of congressional inquiry, Barrit said he will ask TESDA to have a forum for massage operators to register their opposition to the directive of DOH.
Joseph already has filed a complaint before the House of Representatives over DOH’s inaction to calls to lower exorbitant fees for the said training, which is not in compliance with the international standard for massage therapy training.
He said they sent letters to DOH asking for a meeting to settle the matter but they were ignored by the government agency.
Joseph further said DOH and its 16 accredited training centers all over the country should be investigated over an alleged money-making scheme.
He said those who took the exams had to attend the seminar and each paid P10,000 aside from the examination fee. — By Gregg M. Rubio/NSA (The Freeman)
The request was coursed through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-7, said Art Barrit, spokesman of the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), who sits as TESDA board member representing the labor sector.
“I received a lot of requests from different operators of spa calling for a meeting and they requested us to bring this matter to our partylist representative of TUCP, Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, to conduct congressional inquiry regarding the implementation of this program,” said Barrit during the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.
Barrit was reacting to the report of Consul Robert Lim Joseph that non-accredited masseurs in Boracay Island were already apprehended and made to pay P2,500 fine.
“They are criminalizing these masseurs and they would have to pay P2,500. What will happen to the cost of massage in the wellness program for the Philippines? This will happen here in Cebu and in Manila,” Joseph said.
Operator of Ton Ton Thai Massage chain, Joseph is the secretary general of the Philippine Organization of Wellness Establishments and Resources.
“Kulang na nga ng trabaho, nabigyan na ng TESDA, here is another agency which says they cannot work. It is against the poor,” said Joseph.
Barrit pointed out that TESDA, rather than DOH, even has a stringent rule regarding the operationalization of “hilot” wellness massage.
Prior to the conduct of congressional inquiry, Barrit said he will ask TESDA to have a forum for massage operators to register their opposition to the directive of DOH.
Joseph already has filed a complaint before the House of Representatives over DOH’s inaction to calls to lower exorbitant fees for the said training, which is not in compliance with the international standard for massage therapy training.
He said they sent letters to DOH asking for a meeting to settle the matter but they were ignored by the government agency.
Joseph further said DOH and its 16 accredited training centers all over the country should be investigated over an alleged money-making scheme.
He said those who took the exams had to attend the seminar and each paid P10,000 aside from the examination fee. — By Gregg M. Rubio/NSA (The Freeman)
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