TUCP: Workers will not abandon demand

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor group, said workers would not abandon their demand for financial relief on Labor Day.

Raffy Mapalo, TUCP official, said wage increase remained on top of the list of demands the workers are set to present during their meeting with Aquino on Sunday. “We are still drafting the list of our Labor Day demands, but wage hike is still on the top of the agenda,” he said.

Even if the wage boards could not grant it on Labor Day itself, we want it to be given within the month.”

Mapalo said salary increase is very essential to improve the living standards of the workers and their families

“Workers need job security and we are definitely against contractualization, which is a form of slavery since it could provide very minimal benefits,” he said.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Malacañang has already consulted with various agencies to enable the government to respond to the issues to be raised by workers on Labor Day.

“Consultations were done with different agencies and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is working jointly with a team from Malacañang in coming out with a consolidated proposal to the President,” she said.

The proposal still needs the approval of the President, who would be making the formal announcement during his meeting with labor leaders on May 1, Baldoz said.

Mapalo said that after their breakfast meeting with Aquino, TUCP would be holding a separate Labor Day celebration to be attended by 10,000 labor leaders, trade union members and their families.

“The workers would be pushing for salary increase, decent job and job security among others during the celebration at the Cuneta Astrodome,” he said.

The TUCP has been seeking across-the-board salary increases ranging from P75 to P100 for workers nationwide.

Union Network Philippines (UNP), an affiliate of TUCP, is asking  the government to heed their call for employment preservation; job security; respect for the rule of law, especially on inter-union and intra-union disputes, and put an end to contractualization and outsourcing.

The UNP covers various sectors of the service industry such as banking and insurance, commerce and distribution services, telecommunications, postal, graphical and printing, private medical services/hospitals, and the hotel industry.