THE Federation of Free Workers (FFW) today reiterated the urgent need for the Philippine Congress to focus and prioritize workers’ welfare by fast-tracking the enactment of a nationwide ₱150 wage increase and the Marcos administration implementing critical non-wage benefits. FFW Vice President, Jun Mendoza Ramirez, highlighted the necessity of this legislative action, particularly in the current environment dominated by debates on charter change.
Hundreds of skilled workers including teachers, engineers, nurses and healthcare workers are leaving the country due to low wages and millions of children have stunted gowth due to malnutrition.
“Instead of getting bogged down in endless discussions about charter change, we urge Congress to focus on the immediate needs of Filipino workers. It’s high time to gear up the deliberation of the ₱150 wage hike across the nation.”
“Nawalan na ito ng bwelo at inagaw ng charter change debates ang deliberasyon sa Senado at sa House of Representatives,” opined Ramirez, who is also the union president of the Vishay Philippined Employees Union-FFW based in FTI-Taguig.
While awaiting legislative action on the wage increase, FFW also calls on the executive department to adopt non-wage benefits to alleviate workers’ financial burdens.
A key suggestion includes stopping the collection of entrance fees and stickers in export processing zones, where companies enjoy hundred of billions of government subsidies like tax exemptions and subsidized electricity.
“The annual ₱300 sticker fee in FTI and other parts of export processing zones, not to mention the ₱40 parking fee every four hours and ₱60 vehicle entry fee, significantly impacts the workers’ finances. Despite being employees locator companies at these facilities, we face these additional costs,” Ramirez added, recounting an unaddressed plea to the PEZA Director-General back in 2018.
Before the end of the year, FFW has reiterated these issues in a dialogue with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), expressing hope for Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma’s intervention with the support of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
“Kasama nitong non-wage benefit, nanawagan din ang FFW kay Pangulong Marcos, na moratortium muna sa contribution hike ng Philhealth at may malaking pundo naman ito,” added FFW union president Manuel Payao, RN, of the UERM Employees Union-FFW
“Bayaran na sana nito ang mga ospital na di pa nabayaran para di mabinbin at madagdagan na ang mga benepisyo ng mga healthcare workers sa mga ospital na nakalimutang bayaran ng Philhealth,” Payao added
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