Photo from Manila Police District/MANILA BULLETIN
Around 200 people staged a rally at Mendiola in San Miguel, Manila on Friday, June 30, to demand for higher wage.
The Manila Police District (MPD) deployed over 140 personnel to maintain peace and order in the area.
The rallyists are members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance or BAYAN), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), KARAPATAN, Sandugo (Movement of Moro and Indigenous Peoples for Self-determination), League of Filipino Students (LFS), Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM), Sining na Naglilingkod sa Bayan (Sinagbayan), and National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates Youth (NNRA YOUTH)
The groups denounced Wage Order No. NCR-24 issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) last June 26.
Under the wage order, P40 will be added to the daily minimum wage of workers in National Capital Region (NCR), raising it from P570 to P610.
“Daragdagan lamang ng P40 ang minimum wage sa NCR, lubhang napakalayo sa nakabubuhay na sahod, ni wala man lamang kalahati sa mga halagang isinampa ng mga manggagawa sa wage petitions (The minimum wage in the NCR will only be increased by P40, very far from the living wage, not even half of the amounts filed by the workers in the wage petitions),” KMU said.
“Dapat palakasin ng mga rehiyon sa labas ng Metro Manila ang tinig upang maitulak ang mga regional wage board na magbigay ng makabuluhang dagdag-sahod. Dapat paingayin at itulak si Marcos na gawing prayoridad ang pagpapasa ng batas sa pantay na minimum sa buong bansa gaya ng P1,100 National Minimum Wage at P750 National Minimum Wage (Regions outside Metro Manila must raise their voices to push the regional wage boards to give significant wage increases. Marcos should be encouraged to make it a priority to pass the law on the equal minimum wage throughout the country such as the P1,100 National Minimum Wage and P750 National Minimum Wage),” it added.