[APWSLMembers 449] Arroyo's threat to veto P125 wage increase will lead to her political destruction Workers to highlight wage hike demands in ASEAN Summit protests

[Kilusang Mayo Uno]

KILUSANG MAYO UNO
(May First Labor Center)
TAGAPAMANDILA NG TUNAY NA UNYONISMO
No. 63 Narra St. Bgy. Claro, Proj. 3 Quezon City
Telefax 421-0768; Ph: 421-0986 Email:  kilusangmayouno at gmail.com
www.kilusangmayouno.org
NEWS RELEASE
   January 11, 2007

Arroyo's threat to veto P125 wage increase will lead to her political
destruction
Workers to highlight wage hike demands in ASEAN Summit protests

As various sectoral groups converge in Cebu City for the broad
protests for the 12th ASEAN Summit, labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno
(KMU) said they will underscore wage hike issues of private sector
employees in the week-long protest actions that aim to expose the
anti-people agenda of the regional meeting of Asian leaders. "Filipino
workers will continue to fight for the P125 across-the-board wage
hike. Not even Arroyo's veto powers can stifle our struggle for
economic relief. Workers need wage hikes to survive and we will do
everything to realize the granting of substantial wage adjustments,"
said KMU Secretary General Joel Maglunsod.

"Though business groups and the Department of Labor and Employment
(DoLE) continue to assert that the Filipino workers receive higher
wages compared to other Asian workers, the harsh truth cannot be
denied ­ Filipinos endure staggering cost of living and more families
are living way below the poverty threshold. Despite prospects and
figures of a developing economy as claimed by government economists,
we remain poorer than other Asian countries."

According to the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC),
current family living wages should be Php768 or $16 ($1-P48). This
amount is far from actual wages received by Filipino workers with
lowest rate wages pegged at P109 in Region IV-B and Php126 in the
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Real minimum wages in the NCR is
only Php246. Electricity, water and LPG costs are ever-increasing.
Workers cannot cope with this situation. Current wage levels are far
from enough to cover the steadily rising cost of public utilities,
services and basic needs,' Maglunsod stressed.

"With Donald Dee heading the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, it is
likely that the Council will propose regional economic reforms that
will further burden Filipino workers and our fellow Asian workers. We
regard Dee as the business sectors' official spokesperson against wage
hikes for Filipino workers. The ASEAN's thrust of regional market
integration will not benefit Filipinos and Asian workforce. This
integration scheme will only serve the long-term economic plans
outlined by financial agencies and governments espousing
globalization," the labor leader concluded.


Labor group gives thumbs down to Bush's new strategy vs. Iraq

The group will also underscore the labor sectors' opposition to the
U.S. war of terror, now revitalized with Bush's 'new strategy' against
Iraq. "Wage not War will be among our calls during the ASEAN Summit
protests."

"We encouraged Asian heads of states to reject the Bush government's
reinvigorated terror attacks against innocent civilians of sovereign
nations. Bush announced today to further its military attacks against
Iraq, with the fresh deployment of additional 20,000 US troops to Iraq
in the next months. In this light, we are warning the Arroyo
government not to use Bush's new strategy to further its terror
attacks and militarization against Filipino people. 'So far, Arroyo's
avid obedience to U.S. government's war of terror led to over 700
politically-motivated killings of activists and critics of the
administration for the past five years. Out of this number, 74 are
labor leaders and trade union advocates while hundreds belong to mass
organizations of poor people," Maglunsod concluded."  ###