CALL FOR WAGE HIKE. Protesters hold a rally in front of Gate 1 of EPZA in Rosario, Cavite yesterday, Labor Day, seeking for an increase in the minimum wage. Photo courtesy of Rosario, Cavite PNP
Cavite workers call for P1,200 living wage on Labor Day protest
ROSARIO, Cavite – Union members and workers in this town held a protest yesterday in front of Gate 1 of the Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA in conjunction with the Labor Day celebration.
Carrying placards, the protesters called on the government to increase the wages of Filipino workers.
The protesters are seeking for a 1,200 living wage to meet the needs of every Filipino family.
According to the protesters, the continuous increase in the prices of basic commodities has caused poverty and endless suffering to workers.
The rallyists also slammed some prominent business families who are allegedly grabbing land from many farmers.
Among the protesters were from the Solidarity of Cavite Workers, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Bayan Muna, and other progressive groups.
The protest rally lasted for an hour.
Meanwhile, minimum wage earners in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon) were scheduled to receive the second tranche of the salary increase granted by the regional wage board last year 2024, according to the National Wages and Productivity Commission.
The NWPC said that starting April 1, workers in the non-agriculture sector in component cities and first-class municipalities will receive an increase of P20 in their daily pay. The increase will bring the daily minimum wage to P540.
Workers in the fourth, fifth and sixth municipalities will receive an increase of P30 or will take home a daily minimum pay of P450.
