Labor group hits gov’t non-wage benefit program

Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Calling government’s non-wage benefit project a “patently deceitful scheme,” a leftist labor group said government officials were clueless of the true economic situation of the country’s workers.

In a statement on Monday, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU, May First Movement) spokesperson Prestoline Suyat called the government misinformed when it said workers still had P1,500 left every month to purchase basic commodities.

“The poorest Filipino workers are receiving their salaries daily and almost all the time what they get [is] not enough for their families needs. Furthermore, if the Arroyo government is really sincere to provide access to affordable basic commodities, why only put [up] a single venue to sell these every half of the month? A worker in Novaliches or Pasig will not go to Lawton, Manila just to buy discounted instant noodles which will cost him or her higher fare,” Suyat said.

On Friday, various government agencies launched the “Diskwento: Presyong Pang-Empleyado” (Discount: Prices for Employees) in Mandaluyong City.

Spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), and Department of Trade and Industry–National Capital Region (DTI-NCR), “Diskwento” is meant to gives employees access to affordable basic commodities.

DTI assistant secretary Angel L. Pelayo said employees need only to present their company IDs and they will be provided “buyer’s vouchers” that entitle them to purchase up to P1,500 worth of items.

But Suyat said some of the items being sold were not “saleable,” such as corn oil, which is priced at P392 compared to the average retail price of P420.

“We cannot help but suspect that the Arroyo government aims to sell to us some products which are not usually consumed by the public…We are also apprehensive that the products available in the project are near expiration date so they want to dispose of these immediately,” he said.

Suyat said instead of using “band-aid solutions,” the government should instead think of long term solutions, such as the immediate approval of the legislated P125 across-the-board wage increase.