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Gov't urged on Heroes Day: Address plight of laborers, treat them as 'heroes'

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Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/08/29/20220829-awu-heroes-day-protest-jc-8.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Several labor groups and a senator on Monday urged the government to address the plight of Filipino laborers as the country commemorated National Heroes Day.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/01/22/marcos-jr-vows-to-revise-anti-endo-bill">On Labor Day, Marcos Jr says he will &#x27;fine tune&#x27; anti-endo bill</a></li></ul><p>In a statement, labor coalition All Workers Unity (AWU) &quot;dared&quot; Pres. Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos, Jr. to &quot;treat them as heroes as well.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Workers today are struggling for a national minimum wage, security of tenure, and for their trade union and human rights... President Marcos should treat the workers... with dignity if he really wants to achieve genuine unity lest he gets the ire of the Filipino workers and people,&quot; AWU convenor Elmer Labog said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/29/22/marcos-to-filipinos-be-heroes-in-our-own-right">Marcos urges Filipinos: Be heroes in our own right</a></li></ul><p>AWU is composed of labor groups such as Kilusang Mayo Uno, Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura, Piston, Defend Jobs Philippines, Migrante International, Kadamay, Alliance of Health Workers, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, and others.</p><p>&quot;Workers run the economy and pay taxes dutifully, and yet are deprived of government support,&quot; Labog lamented.</p><p>The groups congregated Monday at the Liwasang Bonifacio, a park dedicated to national hero Andres Bonifacio also known as the Great Plebian. </p><p>Labog urged government to end regionalizing minimum wages. </p><p>COURAGE national president Santiago Dasmariñas also asked the Marcos administration to reconsider its plans for rightsizing, which he feared could lead to layoffs of government workers. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/26/22/dbm-says-rightsizing-not-a-mass-layoff">DBM denies rightsizing to lead to mass layoff</a></li></ul><p>Meanwhile, Sen. Raffy Tulfo also paid tribute to laborers on National Heroes&#x27; Day as he pushed for &quot;decent wages to government workers earning below industry standard.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/29/22/quiet-quitting-raising-a-din-in-stressful-us-workplaces">&#x27;Quiet quitting&#x27; raising a din in stressful US workplaces</a></li></ul><p>Tulfo said the government should lead by example by complying with the labor standards which entitle employees to a minimum wage. </p><p>“Hanggang ngayon, marami pa ring empleyado sa gobyerno ang walang seguridad sa trabaho at sapat na sahod, kabilang na dito ang mga street sweepers at traffic aides sa iba’t ibang munisipalidad,&quot; Tulfo said.</p><p>(Until now, many government workers lack job security and sufficient salary, including street sweepers and traffic aides in various municipalities.) </p><p>Under Local Budget Circular No. 143 (s. 2022), the salary of street sweepers and traffic aides are dependent on the income classification of local government units (LGUs). </p><p>“Marami pa rin sa street sweepers at traffic aides ang sumasahod below industry standard dahil nakasalalay pa din sa financial capacity ng bawat LGU ang sahod na matatanggap nila. Habang mas mababa ang income classification ng LGU ay mas mababa pa sa minimum wage ang sweldo ng mga traffic aides at street sweepers natin,” Tulfo said. </p><p>(The salary of many street sweepers and traffic aides remains below industry standard because it depends on the financial capacity of LGUs. While the income classification of an LGU remains low, the salary of our traffic aides and street sweepers will stay below the minimum wage.)</p><p>During the campaign period, Marcos promised to <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/01/22/marcos-jr-vows-to-revise-anti-endo-bill">&quot;fine-tune&quot; the anti-endo bill</a>. However, labor issues were among the topics <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/25/22/no-human-rights-labor-issues-in-marcos-1st-sona">unmentioned</a> during Marcos&#x27; first State of the Nation Address.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/27/22/palace-defends-non-mention-of-drug-war-corruption-in-sona">Palace defends non-mention of drug war, corruption in Marcos&#x27; first SONA</a></li></ul><p>In a recent meeting, Marcos and his Cabinet discussed priority labor programs, including boosting employment opportunities, humane working conditions, and accessible government services, the Palace said. </p><p>&quot;They will discuss with details later on possibly next week for the specifics of their plans and programs,&quot; Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said last Tuesday. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/23/22/marcos-cabinet-meeting-tackles-labor-ofw-programs">Labor, OFW priority programs tackled in Marcos&#x27; Cabinet meeting</a></li></ul><p>Araw ng mga Bayani, a regular holiday, honors &quot;all Filipino heroes who have braved death or persecution for home, nation, justice, and freedom,&quot; according to government journal Official Gazette. </p><div><strong>— With a report from Zen Hernandez, ABS-CBN News </strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2199141" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Several labor groups and a senator urged the government to address the plight of Filipino laborers as the country commemorates National Heroes' Day.

Gov't urged on Heroes Day: Address plight of laborers, treat them as 'heroes'

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Gov't urged on Heroes Day: Address plight of laborers, treat them as 'heroes'

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 29, 2022 01:26 PM PHT

|

Updated Aug 29, 2022 05:35 PM PHT

Read More:

National Heroes Day

labor

laborers

workers

Raffy Tulfo

Senate

senator

labor rights

minimum wage

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