An expected 9,000 workers from different labor groups in the province will march tomorrow towards the Bacolod Public Plaza and the Fountain of Justice in Bacolod City to mark the International Labor Day celebration and air their demands for immediate wage increase.

Lumaya Ka and Democratic Association of Labor Organization leaders Ben Solilapsi and Alan Gozon said they are expecting 5,000 members of their groups to converge at the Fountain of Justice at 1 p.m. for the Labor Day rally while the Kilusang Mayo Uno will march from Lupit at 12 noon towards the public plaza for its own public demonstration.

Among their demands, Gozon said, is for the government to immediately implement the P50 wage increase, to prioritize the delivery of social services, a sincere effort to stop corruption and punishment for the corrupt officials in the government, for the social amelioration fund to be directly given to the workers in the sugar industry, and full implementation of the peace agreement between the government and the RPA-ABB/RPMP.

Solilapsi said they also agree with the stand of the church that the P5 billion assistance proposed by the government for the poorest of the poor in the country will only encourage mendicancy.

Instead of a dole-out, the government should look for meaningful means to strengthen the values of the people such as providing jobs and employment opportunities, Solilapsi said.

Meanwhile, Ronald Ian Evidente of KMU said a P125 wage increase in Congress and justice for the leaders of National Federation of Sugarworkers who were victims of political killings will be among their demands in tomorrow’s Labor Day rally.

He said they are also against the anti-poor assistance since this will not address the worsening food security and economic problems in the country.

Non-wage benefits pushed by the Arroyo administration will also be useless since what the workers need are higher wages to deal with the spiraling increase of prices of basic commodities, Evidente said.*NAB

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