[asia-apec 1331] HUGE RALLY FOR P125 WAGE HIKE WITNESS TO ESTRADA’S LOST POPULARITY

[bayan]

From:  BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance)
Date:  13 October 1999

HUGE RALLY FOR P125 WAGE HIKE
WITNESS TO ESTRADA’S LOST POPULARITY

Whatever remaining popularity President Estrada has with the people has now
completely vanished as thousands of workers, teachers, government employees,
peasants, urban poor stage a huge rally at Mendiola Bridge today to press
for a P125 wage hike, protest the scrapping of amelioration pay and bonuses, 
and the never ending series of oil price hikes.

“We have gathered here at the doorstep of Malacañang to express
our outrage over Estrada government’s bias towards his cronies, big
business, multinational corporations and its subservience to the
IMF, World Bank and WTO,” said Bayan Secretary General Teodoro Casiño.

“When his cronies and multinational corporations ask something from
Estrada, he wastes no time in granting it even to the extent of breaking
standard legal processes. But when it comes to workers, teachers, health
workers and other government employees demanding something that is
rightfully theirs, he rejects it and concocts thousands of excuses,” he said.

Bayan described the measly P15 to P20 hike in the minimujm daily wage in 
Metro Manila as “pro-capitalist.” It was closer to the wage proposal of the 
Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and a far cry from the
P125 demanded by workers. 

Casiño raised fears that workers in other regions will be getting an even
smaller amount, especially the poor regions of Central Visayas, Northern
Mindanao, and Central Mindanao that got the lowest of ECOP’s proposal at
P4.74 to P13.73, P4.23 to P9.05, P5.15 to P5.59 respectively. And since it
will not be an across-the-board increase, other workers whose limited
income equal to or higher than the current measly minimum wage will not
benefit.

He assailed the Estrada government for sacrificing the interest of the
thousands of underpaid and overworked teachers and government employees
just to comply with an IMF-World bank conditionality. “This government didn’t 
even try to bargain with the IMF-World Bank technocrats on this matter,” he
said. 

The rally was led by KMU (May First Movement) and joined by the other
members of BAYAN. Similar rallies and protest actions are also being held
in different parts of the country today. ###