By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senator Risa Hontiveros renewed her appeal to the government on Wednesday, urging it to take into account workers’ requests for pay raises and come up with effective solutions to rein in inflation.
She said this as November’s inflation rate, which surpassed the 14-year high of 7.7 percent reached in October, soared to 8.0 percent.
“Ngayong papalapit na ang Pasko, sana naman ay mapakinggan na ang hiling ng mga manggagawa na umento sa sahod. Ang patuloy na pagtaas ng inflation, ngunit wala namang pagtaas sa sweldo ay lalong nagbabaon sa ating mga kababayan sa kahirapan,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros supports the call for wage hikes as contained in the 5-Point Labor Agenda being pushed by the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition and United Labor and has committed to working for reforms in the wage fixing mechanisms at the Senate.
“Most minimum wages are set around the poverty line, but it is undisputed that labor productivity has been going up while real wages have been at the same level for decades now,” the senator said.
“As production technology is improved, our workers have to work more. Kapag mataas ang productivity, hindi makatarungan na pareho lang ang bayad,” she added.
The labor sector, she argues, must not be made to carry the burden of battling economic crises everywhere.
“Kung hindi ito seryosong haharapin ay taghirap na Bagong Taon ang sasalubungin ng ating mga kababayan. Sa tindi ng krisis pang-ekonomiya ngayon, maaari naman sigurong tugunan ng pamahalaan ang hiling na dagdag-umento kahit na mayroong one-year ban para sa adjustment ng sweldo sa bansa,” Hontiveros stressed.
“Sa halip na pagtuunan ng pansin ang pagtatatag ng Maharlika Fund na maaari pang makabawas sa pondo ng manggagawa sa SSS at GSIS, mas importanteng mabawi ang halagang nawala sa kanila at siguruduhin na abot-kaya ang presyo ng pagkain, kuryente at tubig,” Hontiveros added.
(ai/mtvn)
