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TODAY is
Labor Day, but because the process by which regional
wage boards must deliberate on the pending wage-increase
petitions is still ongoing, workers cannot expect any
dramatic announcement from Malacañang. Not that the
Executive didn’t attempt to swing any dramatic
announcement if only to curry favor with the restive
working class; in fact, it did make a show of even being
the one to prod the national wage and productivity board
to prod, in turn, the regional counterparts to rush the
proceedings. Yet, those familiar with the process knew
this was more style than substance, because the
nitty-gritty of labor economics could not allow the
matter to be stampeded.
The
National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) says
it is not possible to announce a wage increase today
simply because it has to follow procedures, otherwise,
it would be violating the law. These procedures include
sectoral consultations and public hearings. Immediately
after the public hearing, the regional boards, composed
of representatives from labor, employer and the
government sectors, will deliberate on the merit of the
petitions and decide the amount, the form and coverage
and effectivity of the wage grant. At the earliest,
according to the NWPC, wage adjustments, if any, would
be granted before the end of May or early June. Fine.
After all, in a matter that could spell the survival of
certain small and medium enterprises, all parties
deserve to be heard on the matter.
As
expected, calls for a wage increase face stiff
opposition, indeed, mainly from businesses that are also
reeling from the same factors hurting workers, i.e.,
soaring oil prices that swell the cost of production,
and from economists who point to the sensitive nuance of
pay raises being used to help people cope with rising
prices, but also effectively—at some unsustainably high
levels—triggering even more inflation, thus hurting
workers further. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (PCCI) opposed legislated wage increases, but
indicated its support for decisions of the regional wage
boards. According to PCCI chairman Donald Dee, “From the
very beginning, we are against that [legislated wage
raise]. We will respect the process of the wage board
because their process balances the plight of workers and
businesses.”
The
Employers Confederation of the Philippines said it is
willing to grant a wage increase as long as this has
been approved by the wage boards.
For
their part, foreign employers have pointed out that the
Philippines already has one of the highest wages in the
region. That’s the position taken by the American,
Canadian and European Chambers of Commerce here in the
Philippines. Their common message: “Tread with caution.
. . if the government wants to address the current
crisis in rice, it should address it through ways other
than a wage hike. Once you increase wages, you cannot
[hold] it back.”
These
legitimate concerns notwithstanding, the government
should listen to the plight of the workers
themselves—and not only as a token move for Labor Day.
Labor
groups are all asking for a wage increase to help them
cope with the rising cost of living. Moderate groups
such as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines want
a P60 to P80 wage raise, but the militant ones are
demanding a P125 across-the-board wage increase, saying
this will help workers cope with rising food and fuel
costs.
The
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) position is typical: “With the
skyrocketing of the price of rice and basic commodities,
people now live in an emergency condition to struggle
for survival. And emergency situations deserve urgent
response. That’s why we urge Congress to immediately
pass the P125 wage-hike bill or House Bill 1722.” At the
same time, the KMU has rejected the bid for nonwage
benefits by various government agencies and business
groups—an unfortunate knee-jerk reaction because,
realistically, with or without a pay increase, a lot of
nonwage benefits can and do help people get by. After
all, when the prices of food and other essentials are
rising, every means of relief counts.
Going by
the figures of the Department of Trade and Industry, the
price of rice has increased by 44 percent, fish by 14.3
percent, pork by 23 percent, chicken and vegetables by
20 percent, fruits by 25 percent and frying oil by 56
percent since April 2007.
The IBON
Foundation think tank reports wages have only increased
by 18.6 percent since President Arroyo assumed office in
2001, compared with the 37.9-percent increase in the
prices of basic goods. Result: An average family lost
P20,400 in real terms of wages, and P1,300 to 21,400 for
the poorest families.
Victor
Abola of the University of Asia and the Pacific says a
wage adjustment is needed because oil and commodities
prices are not likely to drop very significantly
anymore. But the magnitude and timing of a wage increase
must be well-timed, he stresses, considering that a P10
wage rise translates to an additional 1 percent in the
inflation rate.
If the
government is undecided on how to reconcile the
conflicting claims of labor and employers on a wage hike
at this time, perhaps it should listen instead to what
the Catholic Church has to say on the issue. According
to the bishops, it is the government’s “moral
responsibility” to give the workers a pay increase
considering their agony over rising food and fuel.
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales said
recently over the Church-run Radyo Veritas, “We are one
with them [workers] in appealing to the government for
wage hike.”
Rosales’s support for the working class is echoed by
Cagayan Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, who has called on
the government to consider the sad state of the ordinary
workers, as “a wage hike will help alleviate the problem
of increasing prices.”
Beyond
the economic and theological arguments, perhaps it’s the
human face of suffering that is most compelling: An
online photograph of a homeless man who reportedly died
from sheer hunger on the steps of Plaza Lawton in Manila
a few days ago is now drawing a lot of attention. The
unidentified man, apparently middle-aged, sat down on
the pavement, his head on his knees, and breathed his
last, in broad daylight.
To be
sure, there are many out there driven by so much
desperation they would simply sell their kidneys on the
black market or, as Mang Pandoy once did, look for that
sick, rich man willing to pay a destitute man like him
P200,000 “for the thrill of shooting me dead.”
Thankfully, this snuff movie in Pandoy’s mind was never
produced. But it’s a thought, on Labor Day, for anyone
who sees the increasingly thin difference between
killing with hunger and with bullets. |
