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[av_heading heading=’AS PRICES GO UP ‘Increase minimum wage’ ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY RANIE AZUE
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BACOLOD City – Two militant labor groups in Negros Occidental have demanded increase in the minimum wage now that the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law is in place.
President Rodrigo Duterte singed TRAIN into law on Dec. 19 last year.
While it was still a bill, TRAIN has been receiving criticisms from labor groups, calling it “anti-poor.”
Chairman Roque Rillo of the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers and Secretary-general Noli Rosales of the Kilusang Mayo Uno Negros said minimum wage earners must receive more salary now that the prices of basic commodities have increased under the new tax reform.
The two militant group leaders said ordinary workers, peasants and farmers were the first sector to be affected by TRAIN.
Tax on food products – like coffee and canned goods, among others – was higher under the new tax reform, they said.
The prices of fishes and vegetables, though not covered by TRAIN, have also doubled in public markets, Rillo said.
Fish and vegetable retailers attributed this to the increased tax on petroleum products, which affects their livelihoods in one way or another, Rillo added.
Rillo blasted the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for “justifying” that it did “not see” any price adjustment by the start of 2018.
He added that the government must fast-track its programs for the poor to give them additional source of income.
Meanwhile, Rosales said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Production Board must impose an “immediate” P50 upward adjustment to the current minimum wage to cushion the impact of TRAIN.
Rosales added that the implementation of strict labor policies is also needed to prevent exploitation of workers, particularly in the construction industry.
For the militant groups, TRAIN is not the “best gift” to the Filipinos, they said./PN
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