TUCP dares presidentiables to take stand on wage hike

CEBU, Philippines – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and its party-list arm challenged presidential candidates to take a stand and join the debate on the demand of workers for wage hikes.

This developed as another labor party-list, the Partido ng Manggagawa warned that joblessness awaits the new graduates as it also challenged the presidentiables to present a jobs policy that will address unemployment in general and youth joblessness in particular.

TUCP party-list Rep. Raymond Mendoza said that those running for president may either speak for or against the wage hike proposals and defend their position in public.

“This early, the labor sector wants to know who is friendly to labor. If they are against it, then they should tell us why,” Mendoza said.

PM-Cebu spokesman Dennis Derige said of the estimated half a million graduates this March, more than 90,000 will not be able to find work despite studying for four or five years in school and spending a fortune on a college education.

PM is calling on the youth and the graduates to be critical and vote for candidates who have a concrete program to address unemployment.

TUCP earlier filed a P100 across-the-board wage hike for workers in Central Visayas.

TUCP is likewise mulling the possibility of hosting a forum on wages and other labor issues for the presidentiables.

Derige added that people’s organizations, not local politicians, must administer the public employment program so that it will not be used for patronage and it must promote decent work instead of contractualization. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP (THE FREEMAN)