Workers have nothing to celebrate -- CPP
May 1, 2004

The Communist Party of the Philippines today decried the Arroyo government's failure to grant the long-standing demand of workers for wage increases even as it chided Malaca�ang and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines for their celebrations of "Macapagal's Labor Day gift to workers."

The CPP was reacting to Arroyo's remarks yesterday stating that despite the absence of a Labor Day wage hike proclamation, "We can celebrate the 1.1 million jobs that I created every year. We should celebrate the 29% increase in the minimum wage during my presidency." In lieu of a wage hike, Malaca�ang is sponsoring a free concert tonight featuring pop singers and movie actors and has announced free LRT and MRT rides, tickets to basketball games and "discounts" in selected mall outlets .

CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal lambasted the statement, saying that workers have nothing to celebrate as the Arroyo government has constantly failed to address the demand of workers for living wages and has instead carried out measures that only further serve the interests of big foreign capitalists and their local comprador partners.

He also called Malaca�ang's token Labor Day "gifts" and celebrations as insulting to the workers. He added that the drastic erosion of wages due to constant increases in the prices of basic commodities makes urgent the demand for a substantial increase in wages. Rosal declared the CPP's full support to the workers' rightful demand and struggles for wage increases to achieve at least a decent living for their families.

Rosal also disputed Malaca�ang's claims of having created one million jobs, saying that government has double-counted the employment figures and hidden the unemployment figures. "What million jobs is she talking about? Is she referring to the street sweepers and road construction workers temporarily employed since last year in makeshift jobs and made to wear Gloria T-shirts?" asked Rosal.

Rosal cited that government statistics count contractual workers who are only employed for three to five months a year as fully employed, thus bloating employment figures. "What is being misrepresented as an increase in employment is actually the dire phenomenon of a massive shift to casualization of employment in the country," said Rosal.

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553

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Workers have nothing to celebrate -- CPP May 1, 2004

Workers have nothing to celebrate -- CPP
May 1, 2004