Manifesto of workers submitted to members of the House of Representatives, February 21, 2024
We, workers, urge the honorable House to heed our demands regarding wage increase. While workers’ productivity rises annually, they do not get their fair share, and instead, bear the brunt of skyrocketing prices of goods and services. Thus, we believe that you know the necessity and urgency to raise the wages of Filipino workers.
Recently, the Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill 2534 on a P100 wage increase for minimum wage workers nationwide.
We are aware that there are multiple pending bills seeking to increase private sector worker’s wages. We believe that these could be potential counterparts to the one the Senate passed.
Any wage increase, albeit insufficient for the daily needs of workers, is welcome. This is part of our continuing struggle to meet a minimum wage based on the family living wage, which according to the IBON Foundation, is now pegged at P1193/day.
We express grave concern over the pronouncements of some House members against our just and necessary call for an urgent wage increase. Those statements are a brash denial of the woes workers face every day and our right to decent living conditions.
We believe that it is essential to hold hearings and provide platforms for workers to air out our justified demands. This would be a far more beneficial and worthwhile effort than pushing for Charter Change. We expect the Congress to prioritize passing legislation for the workers who drive the economy.