The Communist Party supports widespread mass actions to obtain the P125 wage increase! As a party that represents the working class, the Communist Party of the Philippines thoroughly supports the struggle of the working masses nationwide to obtain a P125 across-the-board wage increase.

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal
Spokesperson
Communist Party of the Philippines
September 12, 2001

The workers� demand is reasonable and just since it will enable them to reach basic living standards. A P250 minimum daily wage is simply not enough considering that a family of six needs P509 per day to live decently.

The Party condemns and will resist the Macapagal-Arroyo regime and its big capitalist co-conspirators� maneuverings.

The argument that a wage increase would lead to the collapse of businesses and spur inflation is a big lie and deception. They contrive to obscure the real reasons behind the current economic crisis in the country: the backwardness of industry due to the dominance of foreign monopoly capitalism over the country�s semifeudal economy and politics, the devastation wrought by imperialist �globalization� and IMF-World Bank and GATT-WTO impositions.

The Party likewise condemns deceptive measures that are merely for show such as tax deductions, emergency cost of living allowances (ECOLA) and other �non-wage benefits�. Similarly, the Party assails the inutile and pro-capitalist regional wage boards that grant minuscule wage increases.

The entire revolutionary movement led by the Communist Party of the Philippines fully supports the widespread actions of the working masses and other impoverished sectors for higher wages. It is necessary to exert utmost efforts to win over the broadest possible support of the people in order to further concentrate, broaden and strengthen the struggle for a wage increase.

The Party and the working masses are aware that no argument can convince the Macapagal-Arroyo regime and the big capitalists other than the pressure applied by the working masses and the broad masses of the people. The resistance and anger of the people rising in revolt are the only counterweights against big business� insatiable greed for excessive profits and miserliness with respect to wages and the regime�s rigid implementation of the neocolonial policy of cheap wages.###

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