Abolish the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board!

That was the call of about 5,000 workers, who marched down the main streets of Bacolod City in three separate rallies during the commemoration of the 126th Labor Day yesterday.

Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Teddy Casiño slammed President Benigno Aquino III for not supporting the P125 across the board salary being pushed by labor.

Members of the Democratic Association of Labor Organizations braved the heat of the sun and converged in front of the Fountain of Justice at Araneta Street to air their grievances.

DALO president Alan Gozon said that, aside from the abolition of the RTWPB, they are also pushing for the strict implementation of the minimum wages and other benefits for workers, which most employers do not follow.

DALO also called for the eradication of child labor, saying it is an irony that the Philippine government is one of the signatories of an international agreement on child protection, but many children in the country are forced to work at a young age instead of being in school.

Sugar workers from different towns and cities in Negros Occidental under the Partido ng Manggawa-Negros also staged a protest rally at the Welcome Rotonda at the Bacolod Public Plaza to denounce the recent RTWPB order granting a P12 increase in the minimum wage for Western Visayas.

Ben Tundag, PM spokesperson, said the RTWPB should be abolished because it is useless, issues on salaries should be acted on by the national wage commission instead.

Ronald Ian Evidente, spokesperson of the Kilusang Mayo Uno, said their group is not in favor of the recently granted P12 wage increase in Western Visayas.

He also slammed what he called the repression of the leaders of progressive organizations in Negros Occidental and the non-implementation of genuine land reform.

KMU, BAYAN and their allied organizations gathered at the Bacolod Public Plaza, where they held a rally in observance of Labor Day

Meanwhile, Casiño called President Aquino “insensitive” for rejecting the call of the labor sector for a P125 across the board wage increase.

Casiño said the Aquino administration should introduce a regime of price controls coupled with wage hikes so the Filipinos will be protected from inflation.

Colmenares said Aquino’s failure to heed the call of the labor sector for a P125 across the board wage increase is outrageous.*APN

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