NAGKAISA Labor Coalition

SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKPLACES ARE A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE NAGKAISA!

2026-08-26T15:00:00.000+08:00

MANILA — The biggest labor coalition in the country, the NAGKAISA! stands firmly for the full protection of every worker’s right to a safe and healthy workplace following the alarming report that two workers of Davao Mighty Steel Corporation reportedly tested positive for high radiation exposure, according to findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The reported findings are especially disturbing because this is not the first recent incident involving radioactive hazards in a Philippine steel plant.

Only a few months ago, in May 2026, authorities raided Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, where the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) confirmed elevated radioactivity in parts of the facility. Reports also raised serious concerns over the protection provided to workers against potential radiation hazards.

Two incidents within a matter of months should set off alarm bells—not only radiation detectors.

NAGKAISA! urges the government to determine whether these incidents are isolated violations or symptoms of a wider problem involving the sourcing and handling of scrap metal and other raw materials, workplace monitoring, occupational safety enforcement, and the manufacture and distribution of steel products.

Occupational safety and health is not merely a compliance requirement. It is a fundamental workers’ right and a shared obligation of employers and the State. No worker should ever be forced to choose between earning a living and protecting their life and health.

Atty. Sonny G. Matula stressed that the effective implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Law must remain at the center of workplace policy and practice.“The law is clear: employers must provide a safe and healthy workplace and inform workers of hazards that threaten their life and health. Radiation may be invisible, but an employer’s responsibility cannot be. Trabaho ang pinapasukan ng manggagawa, hindi danger zone. Every worker who clocks in deserves to clock out safe and healthy and return home to their family,” Matula said.

Santiago “Ka Santi” Nolla likewise emphasized that occupational safety and health is a fundamental principle and right at work.“The right to a safe and healthy workplace is a fundamental principle and right at work recognized by the International Labour Organization. Occupational safety and health is not optional, nor can it be compromised in the name of profit or productivity. Every worker has the right to return home safe and healthy after every working day,” Nolla said.

NAGKAISA! therefore calls for a thorough and transparent investigation into the reported radiation exposure involving the Davao Mighty Steel workers; full accountability for any violations of occupational safety and health laws and standards; immediate protection, appropriate medical assistance and continuing health monitoring for affected workers; and strict implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Law in all workplaces.

The Coalition likewise calls on the DOLE, PNRI, DENR and other appropriate government agencies to examine the Davao and Misamis Oriental incidents together and determine whether stronger nationwide inspection, radiation monitoring, and regulation of steel plants, scrap-metal inputs and related industries are necessary.

Workers and their unions must have meaningful participation in workplace OSH mechanisms. Enforcement and accountability must be strengthened, and concrete measures must be taken to prevent workplace accidents, illnesses, injuries, hazardous exposure and deaths.

A safe and healthy workplace is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right. Workers should bring home their wages—not workplace hazards.

NAGKAISA to Hong Kong: You Can Imprison A Union Leader, But You Cannot Imprison the Truth!

2026-08-25T21:00:00.000+08:00

NAGKAISA! strongly condemns the Hong Kong court’s conviction of veteran trade unionist and democracy advocate Lee Cheuk-yan and activist Chow Hang-tung for “inciting others to subvert state power.”

This is not justice. It is the criminalization of peaceful dissent, democratic advocacy and the right to speak truth to power.

Lee is a longtime trade unionist and former general secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU). His conviction strikes at a principle fundamental to the labor movement: Unions cannot defend workers if democracy itself is criminalized.

The prosecution did not establish that Lee or Chow planned violence or sought to overthrow the government through unlawful means. Their alleged crime was their advocacy for democracy, including the Alliance’s call to end one-party rule and its peaceful commemoration of the Tiananmen victims.

Since when is calling for democracy “subversion”? Since when is remembering the dead a crime?

NAGKAISA! rejects the use of national-security laws to silence trade unionists, activists and civil society.

An attack on one unionist is an attack on all unionists.

We stand in solidarity with Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and the people of Hong Kong who continue to defend freedom, democracy and the right to organize.

They may imprison Lee. They may silence a voice. But they cannot imprison the workers’ struggle or erase the truth.

DEFEND DEMOCRACY!

FREE LEE CHEUK-YAN!

NAGKAISA! OPPOSES NAPC ENDORSEMENT OF NTF-ELCAC’S EXPANSION OF DEVELOPMENT WORK

2026-08-25T17:00:00.000+08:00

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition expresses serious concern over the reported endorsement by the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to expand the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) development work.

NAPC need not hide its institutional failures under the shadow of another failing institution. NTF-ELCAC is neither a development arm nor an expert body in infrastructure projects. Giving credit to the red-tagging body for poverty reduction has driven NAPC into desperate hallucination. Inserting itself further into NTF-ELCAC’s development obscurity brings it closer into a state of irrelevance.

NAPC was created to address the structural causes of poverty and to advance the participation and empowerment of the country’s basic sectors. Its mandate must therefore remain focused on influencing policy reforms to achieve social targets on poverty eradication, decent work, secure employment, living wages, housing, livelihood, social protection, and meaningful participation in policymaking - not on transforming anti-poverty programs into instruments of low intensity war.

Moreover, civilian institutions must not allow development and poverty alleviation programs to be subordinated to a security framework that treats organized workers, poor communities, and legitimate dissent with suspicion. Development must be based on rights and people’s needs not on whether a community is considered strategically important to a counterinsurgency campaign. Jobs must be created because people need decent work; housing must be provided because families need secure homes; and social protection must be guaranteed because people have the right to live with dignity - not because these are tools to defeat an insurgency.

In fact, the labor movement has consistently called for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC as its work intrudes into the free exercise of labor rights, including red-tagging. Executive Order No. 97 and the Omnibus Guidelines on Freedom of Association and Civil Liberties prohibit the labelling of workers, union members, trade unions, and organizations, while recognizing the Department of Labor and Employment’s mandate over trade unionism and freedom of association.

Any intervention involving workers and labor communities must therefore be strictly bounded by these safeguards. NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging, profiling and surveillance activities, and giving away projects the way traditional politicians define their legislative will never eliminate poverty. NAGKAISA! Stands firmly for the abolition of NTF- ELCAC with all the logical and democratic reason to defund and defunct.

Nagkaisa Strongly Condemn Alliance Verdict: Is Defending Truth a Crime?

2026-08-23T09:30:00.000+08:00

The High Court today found former Hong Kong Alliance chair Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice-chair Chow Hang-tung guilty of “inciting others to subvert state power”. The case has been adjourned until Friday (28 August) for mitigation. We strongly condemn the verdict and are deeply concerned that the case further demonstrates how Hong Kong’s National Security Law is being used to erode long-standing freedoms of expression and association, and to narrow the space for peaceful political advocacy.

Christopher Mung, Executive Director of Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor, said:

“Today’s verdict is not simply a conviction of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung. It is also a blatant conviction of conscience and truth. For more than three decades, the Hong Kong Alliance promoted democratic ideals through peaceful and non-violent means. To now characterise such advocacy as incitement to subvert state power sends a deeply disturbing message to the world: that there is no longer room in Hong Kong for peaceful dissent or political expression.”

At the heart of the case was not whether the defendants had planned violence, a coup or any unlawful attempt to seize power. The prosecution instead focused on one of the Alliance’s five long-standing objectives: “ending one-party dictatorship”. It argued that, as chair and vice-chair of the Alliance, Lee and Chow were necessarily involved in efforts to subvert state power through unconstitutional and unlawful means.

Yet the prosecution failed to identify any specific unlawful means that Lee or Chow had advocated, or to establish that either defendant had planned or incited violence. Much of the case centred on statements they had made publicly. This verdict therefore clearly amounts to criminalising people for what they say, dealing another severe blow to Hong Kong’s already threatened freedom of expression. Giving evidence in court, Lee recalled how Beijing residents helped him escape Tiananmen Square 37 years ago, enabling him to leave safely. He told the court that seeking justice for the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown and building a democratic China had become his lifelong commitment. “There is no hatred in my heart, only love for the people,” he said.

Chow described the annual June 4 candlelight vigil in Victoria Park as an expression of “love and responsibility”, rather than hatred. Both defendants repeatedly stressed that the Alliance advocated constitutional reform, democratic institutions, the rule of law and checks and balances on power, but not the violent overthrow of the government.

For more than three decades, the Alliance organised the annual June 4 candlelight vigil in Victoria Park peacefully, calling for accountability for the Tiananmen crackdown and keeping alive the aspirations of its victims for democratic reform. For many years, Hong Kong was the only place in China where the events of June 4 could be openly commemorated and discussed.

Hong Kong once allowed people to commemorate June 4 publicly, debate political systems and advocate for political reform. Today, forms of peaceful public expression that were once part of Hong Kong’s civic life can instead be treated as matters of national security.

This verdict is therefore about more than the Hong Kong Alliance. It is a further example of the criminalisation of civil society in Hong Kong and the shrinking space for peaceful political and civic participation.

History must not become a forbidden subject, and peaceful political advocacy must not be treated as a crime.

We urge the Hong Kong authorities to respect the fundamental rights protected under the Basic Law and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to stop using national security offences to suppress peaceful political expression, and to ensure that people can express their views, participate in public debate and advocate peacefully for reform without fear of criminal prosecution.

We also call on the international community to continue monitoring the human rights and rule of law situation in Hong Kong, and to maintain close scrutiny of this case and others involving people who have peacefully exercised their fundamental rights.

NAGKAISA! STANDS WITH SENTRO AND DUWU: RESPECT WORKERS’ RIGHTS, END UNION-BUSTING

2026-08-21T10:30:00.000+08:00

MANILA — NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition and its affiliate labor organizations stand in full solidarity with SENTRO and its local union, the DHL United Workers Union (DUWU), as DUWU workers continue their strike in pursuit of good-faith negotiations, fair compensation, wage increases, respect for freedom of association, and a meaningful Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

On Friday, 21 August 2026 at 10:00 AM, NAGKAISA! and allied workers’ organizations will hold a second wave of nationwide solidarity actions at DHL outlets across the regions, including a solidarity presence at the DUWU strike site in Muntinlupa City.

“This is not simply a dispute between a company and its workers. This is a test of whether workers’ basic rights to organize, bargain collectively, and demand fair treatment will be respected,” said Atty. Sonny G. Matula, Chairperson of NAGKAISA!

“We urge DHL: huwag labagin ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa na mag-unyon. Ang freedom of association ay hindi pribilehiyo ng management kundi batayang karapatan na dapat igalang at protektahan ng DHL.

“Kung tunay na global company ang DHL, dapat global din ang respeto nito sa workers’ rights. Itigil ang union-busting. Kilalanin ang unyon at makipag-bargain in good faith,” Matula added.

For DUWU, the issue is straightforward: workers are demanding respect for their rights and a genuine process for resolving their concerns.

“DUWU workers are not asking for special treatment. We are asking DHL to respect our rights as workers and as a legitimate union. We are ready to negotiate. What we need from management is good faith, respect, and a genuine commitment to reach a fair CBA,” said Nap Aromin, DUWU Union President.

SENTRO likewise emphasized that the right to organize and bargain collectively must be protected in practice, not merely recognized in principle.

“SENTRO stands firmly with DUWU. The right to organize and bargain collectively cannot be respected only when it is convenient for management. We call on DHL to engage the union sincerely, address the workers’ legitimate demands, and end actions that undermine their freedom of association,” said Nice Coronacion, SENTRO Deputy Secretary-General.

NAGKAISA! calls on DHL management to respect the workers’ right to organize, end union-busting, recognize the legitimate role of DUWU, and return to the negotiating table in good faith. A company operating across borders must also uphold universal labor rights wherever it operates.

The nationwide solidarity actions demonstrate that DUWU workers are not alone. NAGKAISA!, SENTRO, and allied labor organizations will continue to stand with workers defending their fundamental rights to organize, bargain collectively, and secure decent and fair working conditions.

Workers’ rights are not negotiable. Respect the union. Stop union-busting. Negotiate the CBA now.

NAGKAISA! TO SUPREME COURT: ACT WITH URGENCY ON ₱85 WAGE CASE

2026-08-19T15:30:00.000+08:00

“Defend the ₱85, advance the ₱200 national wage hike”

MANILA — NAGKAISA! labor alliances and networks today filed a Manifestation before the Supreme Court, formally informing the High Court of the Writ of Preliminary Injunction issued by Pasig RTC Branch 152 that continues to restrain the implementation of NCR Wage Order No. 27 and its ₱85 wage adjustment.

For NAGKAISA!, the injunction makes urgent Supreme Court action even more necessary. Workers cannot be made to fight for the same Wage Order courtroom by courtroom, RTC by RTC, while their wage increase remains out of reach.

“Workers have waited long enough. Every day the wage increase remains restrained is another day that money for food, pamasahe, kuryente, gamot and other necessities does not reach the worker,” said Atty. Sonny Matula, NAGKAISA! Chairperson.

The first tranche of the ₱85 adjustment is ₱60 on the previous ₱695 NCR minimum wage. While modest, NAGKAISA! stressed that it is real and immediate relief for minimum-wage workers.

“Hindi ito wage na malaking putok ng bulkang Mayon. Maliit siguro sa spreadsheet, pero hindi maliit kapag nasa palengke ka na.”

NAGKAISA! said the case raises a fundamental question requiring an authoritative answer from the Supreme Court: How far may regular courts intervene in a wage-setting process specifically established by labor law?

“Huwag gawing bola ang ₱60. Workers should not be benched while their wage increase is passed from one courtroom to another. Pasig today, Navotas tomorrow—where does it end? One Wage Order deserves one clear and authoritative answer from the Supreme Court,” Matula said.

The coalition emphasized that its campaign has two interconnected fronts: defend the immediate ₱85 NCR wage adjustment and advance a ₱200 nationally legislated wage increase.

“We defend the ₱85 because workers need relief today. But ₱85 is not the finish line. The bigger fight is for a meaningful ₱200 national legislated wage increase and genuine reform of our wage-setting system,” said NAGKAISA! Spokesperson Ka Rene Magtubo.

“We cannot build an economy on poverty wages. Workers are producers, but they are consumers too. Put additional wages in a worker’s pocket and that money goes to the palengke, carinderia, jeepney, pharmacy and sari-sari store. Increasing workers’ purchasing power also helps move the economy,” Magtubo added.

NAGKAISA! Convenor Josua Mata emphasized that the coalition is asking the Supreme Court for prompt judicial action.

“Why should workers have to fight this hard just to receive a wage increase that the wage-setting system has already granted? This is a call for urgency, not interference. We respect the Court and its processes. But workers’ bills do not observe judicial calendars. Rice, rent and electricity do not file motions for extension.”

For NAGKAISA!, the issue goes beyond ₱60 or ₱85. It concerns who the law entrusts to fix wages, who reviews those decisions, and when regular courts may stop their implementation.

NAGKAISA! will continue mobilizing its federations, unions, alliances and networks to defend Wage Order No. 27, while pressing Congress and the administration to pursue a ₱200 national legislated wage increase and comprehensive wage-system reform.

NAGKAISA!’S CALL

DEFEND THE ₱85.

SUPREME COURT: ACT WITH URGENCY.

₱200 NATIONAL LEGISLATED WAGE INCREASE — NEXT.

REFORM THE WAGE SYSTEM.

NAGKAISA: Mr. Secretary, The Country Has Spoken. It Is Time for DOLE to Lead

2026-08-07T13:30:00.000+08:00

A broad national consensus has emerged: the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) suspending the NCR wage increase must be lifted.

The Office of the Solicitor General has asked the court to lift the TRO. Malacañang has publicly supported its immediate lifting. Twenty-one senators have done the same. The labor movement stands united in defending the lawful wage increase.

The question now is no longer whether the TRO should be lifted. The question is whether Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino will personally lead the fight to lift it.

This is DOLE’s wage order. It is DOLE’s responsibility to defend it—not only in court but also in the court of public opinion.

NAGKAISA challenges Secretary Tolentino to answer the questions that matter to millions of Filipino workers:

Will he personally lead the fight to lift the TRO issued by the Pasig Regional Trial Court?

How does he intend to prevent more employers from filing copycat petitions to stop future wage increases?

What concrete measures will DOLE pursue to plug the legal loopholes now being exploited to deny workers even the measly wage increases granted by the Regional Wage Boards?

And when will DOLE finally acknowledge that the regional wage-fixing system is broken and abandon its hold on this failed mechanism in favor of genuine wage reform?

“The President has spoken. The government’s chief lawyer has acted. The Senate has taken a stand. Workers have united. Mr. Secretary, this is your moment to lead. Defend the wage order your Department issued, close the loopholes that allow employers to frustrate lawful wage increases, and stop treating every wage order as an invitation for endless litigation.”

NAGKAISA reiterates its calls to immediately lift the TRO issued by the Pasig Regional Trial Court, dismiss the petition pending before the Navotas Regional Trial Court, enact a legislated ₱200 across-the-board wage increase, and replace the failed regional wage-fixing system with a national wage-setting mechanism that delivers timely, meaningful, and enforceable wage increases for all workers.

Workers have waited long enough. Justice delayed is justice denied.

NAGKAISA Welcomes ICJ Opinion: Right to Strike Is Protected, Not Silenced

2026-05-23T08:00:00.000+08:00

The biggest labor coalition in the coubtry welcomes the landmark advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice affirming that the right to strike is protected under ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise.

By a 10-4 vote, the World Court confirmed what workers have long known: the right to organize must include the right to act together.

In our Constitution, the right to strike is clear, express, and recognized. What is the value of the right to organize and collectively negotiate if workers have no right to strike? It would be like a bell without a sound — visible, perhaps even decorative, but powerless to ring when justice must be heard.

“The right to strike is not a crime, not a tantrum, and not a nuisance. Kaya wag i-redtag ang mga manggagawa exercising collective right to stop eorking due to a labor dispute. It is a democratic safety valve when dialogue breaks down and workers are pushed to the wall,” NAGKAISA Labor Coslition said.

Freedom of association without the right to strike is like a union with a mouth but no voice, a bell with no sound, and a Constitution with labor rights written in ink but denied in practice.

NAGKAISA calls on government and employers to respect workers’ right to organize, collectively bargain, and, when necessary, peacefully strike in defense of discrimination and harassment for organizing union, union busting, wages, dignity, and justice.

Workers are not machines, algorithms, or disposable manpower. When workers ring the bell of justice, the law must not mute the sound.

Emergency Power without Sectoral Consultation and Cohesive Plan is Prone to Abuse

2026-03-25T21:00:00.001+08:00

The declaration of a national state of energy emergency by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raises serious questions among them, the lack of clear plan and democratic consultations with different sectors.

Extraordinary powers demand a clear plan. Yet the government has not presented a concrete strategy explaining how these emergency powers will actually address the crisis. Declaring a national emergency without a clear roadmap is the perfect recipe for abuse.

Executive Order No. 110 itself concedes that the measures to address the crisis are to be undertaken ‘under existing laws.’ In other words, the power was always there - the plan was not.

Instead of resorting to sweeping emergency measures without a clear program, the President should have convened a national summit bringing together workers, employers, farmers, transport groups, and civil society to unite the country around a common strategy to confront the crisis.

Workers and ordinary people are the ones suffering from rising prices and economic uncertainty. They deserve more than vague declarations and emergency powers.

If the government has no clear answers and ends up more confused than the vulnerable sectors, then it should have the humility to ask the people. Real solutions will not come from emergency proclamations but from a nation mobilized behind a clear, democratic plan to confront the crisis.

Workers do not need a state of emergency; they need a State with a plan. If government cannot present one, it should at least have the humility to listen by convening a forum for consultation —otherwise, all we have is sound and fury, signifying nothing.

PRESS STATEMENT

25 March 2006

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition

NAGKAISA STATEMENT ON THE U.S. ATTACK ON VENEZUELA

2026-01-04T12:00:00.001+08:00

NAGKAISA condemns in the strongest terms the U.S. military attack on Venezuela. This act of aggression violates national sovereignty and international law and directly endangers the lives, jobs, and welfare of Venezuelan workers and their families.

As trade unionists, we recognize that war, foreign intervention, and economic coercion always fall hardest on working people—destroying livelihoods, weakening labor rights, and undermining public services. This attack is clearly another attempt by the United States to secure control over Venezuela’s vast oil resources, once again putting profit and corporate interests over the lives and rights of workers.

We are not blind to Venezuela’s internal political crisis. Maduro’s democratic legitimacy has long been contested—particularly his 2018 election and his most recent third term vote, which the opposition and many observers have challenged as tainted by fraud, intimidation, and violence. But even contested legitimacy does not give any foreign power a legal license to invade, bomb, kidnap, or “run” another country. The future of Venezuela must be decided by Venezuelans, through genuinely free and credible democratic processes—not by foreign guns, sanctions, or geopolitical fiat.

Even if the US president claims that his country has serious grievances against Maduro and his wife, it cannot simply attack another sovereign nation without violating international law: the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force (Article 2(4)), and the core principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. Absent UN Security Council authorization or a valid claim of self-defense under Article 51, such an invasion is unlawful and offends peremptory (jus cogens) norms, including the prohibition of aggression.

The Trump administration might have committed the crime of aggression, which the court at Nuremberg described as the supreme crime, and commonly understood by the community of nations as “the worst crime of all.”

NAGKAISA stands in solidarity with Venezuelan workers and trade unions in their struggle for peace, democracy, and social justice. We call on workers’ organizations and democratic movements worldwide to oppose imperialist war, resource plunder, and all forms of foreign domination.

Hands off Venezuela.

Stop imperialist war and resource grabbing.

#HandsOffVenezuela

Statement of the NAGKAISA Labor Coalition for the Immediate and Unconditional Release of Lee Cheuk Yan

2025-11-12T11:30:00.001+08:00

The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition stands in firm solidarity with our comrades in the global labour and civil society movement in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Lee Cheuk Yan.

Lee, a well-known labour leader and pro-democracy activist, has been targeted under the sweeping provisions of China’s National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong in 2020—accused of “inciting subversion of state power” for his involvement in the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and the exercise of his most basic rights: freedom of assembly, association, expression and memory.

We affirm that:

• The criminalisation of Lee’s peaceful work is a direct assault on trade union freedoms, on democratic space, and on the dignity of workers everywhere.

• The fact that Lee and others have been held for over 1,500 days for acting in defence of rights reveals the scale of repression we are up against.

• When the right to remember past struggles is suppressed, the right to organise for the future is weakened. The Hong Kong Alliance’s decades-long work to commemorate the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen protests is at the heart of this challenge.

Therefore, NAGKAISA calls on:

1. The Hong Kong authorities and relevant governments to drop all charges against Lee Cheuk Yan and to release him immediately and unconditionally.

2. Labour organisations, human rights institutions and governments around the world to monitor the trial closely, to apply diplomatic and moral pressure, and to stand together in solidarity.

3. Filipino unions and the broad labour movement in the Philippines to raise Lee’s case, to recognise its significance for workers’ rights globally, and to reaffirm that we are interconnected—when union freedom is undermined in one place, it is weakened everywhere.

We in NAGKAISA pledge:

• We will elevate Lee’s case in our national forums and international engagements.

• We will continue to stand in solidarity with colleagues in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region who are under threat.

• We will continue to defend the principle that there can be no labour justice without human rights.

For the freedom of Lee Cheuk Yan. For the dignity of workers everywhere.

Largest Labor Coalition Welcomes New Ombudsman with Caution, Calls for Transparency in Graft Probes; Mobilizes for Big Bonifacio Day Rally

2025-10-09T06:30:00.016+08:00

The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition, the largest labor coalition in the country, wishes good luck to and welcomes the new Ombudsman, DOJ Secretary Boying Remulla — and calls on him to make his mark as a full-time graft buster with fire in his belly and courage in his heart.

“We welcome the new Ombudsman, DOJ Secretary Boying Remulla — to act as full-time graft buster! We hope he brings not just fire in his belly, but courage in his heart to take on corruption head-on!” said Atty. Sonny Matula, President of the Chair of NAGKAISA and FFW President.

NAGKAISA Spokesperson and PM Chair Rene Magtubo added, “He might not be everyone’s ideal choice, but we recognize that he is a good lawyer who knows the ground and the terrain of the river and valleys of our political landscape. Panahon na para patuyuin ang baha ng korapsyon — to slay the draconian problem of corruption that has long drained our nation dry.”

NAGKAISA Convenor and SENTRO Deputy Secretary General Nice Coronacion expressed hope that Remulla’s appointment signals renewed vigor in the fight against corruption, emphasizing that this must be done with transparency and accountability.

“We pray he goes after every suspect of graft — no fear, no favor, no sacred cows. His victory over corruption will be the people’s gain, the workers’ hope, and the nation’s win — lalo na ng mga manggagawang tapat at mga mamamayang nagbabayad ng buwis nang walang ninanakaw,” Coronacion declared.

The coalition urged the Ombudsman and the newly created Indendent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to coordinate and to conduct investigations in the open, not in secrecy.

“The public deserves to know. Only germs are afraid of the searching light of scrutiny,” NAGKAISA Coronacion quipped. “Transparency is the best disinfectant against corruption.”

Workers Prepare for Bonifacio Day Rally vs Corruption

In line with this renewed call for clean governance, NAGKAISA announced it is mobilizing its local unions, federations, and workers’ associations across the country to join forces with church and civil society groups in a massive Bonifacio Day rally on November 30, 2025.

The rally will serve as a national day of action to demand accountability, transparency, and good governance — values embodied by the heroism of Andres Bonifacio, the worker-revolutionary.

“This Bonifacio Day, we fight corruption — the modern oppressor that steals not just public funds but also the dreams of Filipino workers and their families,” NAGKAISA Chair Matula concluded.

Anti-Corruption Groups Hold Mass and Rally at EDSA Shrine to Condemn Corruption in Flood Control Projects

2025-09-11T15:00:00.009+08:00

Tindig Pilipinas, NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition, Kalipunan ng Kilusang Masa, Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian, and pro-democracy organizations, held a mass and rally today, September 11, at the historic EDSA Shrine to protest the massive corruption tied to anomalous flood control projects.

Billions of pesos meant to protect Filipinos from the devastating impact of floods had allegedly been lost to ghost projects, kickbacks, and collusion between politicians and contractors. For the coalition, this massive corruption was yet another betrayal of the Filipino people, especially the poor and vulnerable who bore the brunt of floods and climate disasters.

“We cannot stay silent while our money is being stolen, while our people drown in both floods and corruption,” said Kiko Aquino Dee, Convenor of Tindig Pilipinas.

“Every peso pocketed by these corrupt officials is a classroom not built, a health center left unfinished, and flood protection denied to our communities. That is why we demand: buuin na ang isang independent commission to investigate this massive corruption, and release the SALNs of all public officials involved. Transparency and accountability must begin now,” Dee added.

Judy Ann Chan Miranda, from NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition, underscored the moral urgency of collective action. “This is not just about corruption, it is about life and death, justice and injustice. The billions stolen from flood control projects could have saved lives and livelihoods. We gather at EDSA Shrine because we believe that, once again, the Filipino people must rise to demand truth, accountability, and reform.”

The coalition emphasized that the EDSA Shrine, a symbol of the people’s power against tyranny and abuse, was the rightful venue for citizens to once again declare: Enough is enough.

“Our call is simple: end corruption, hold the thieves accountable, and return the money to the people. Gawin nating kadiri muli ang kurapsyon,” Dee concluded.

On the Escalating Tensions in BARMM

2025-09-08T14:00:00.001+08:00

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition expresses grave concern over worrisome reports of escalating tensions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). These tensions erupted following the government’s move to effect a regime change in the region, triggering a breakdown in trust between parties to the peace process.

We mark a historic victory when both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). Yet today, we are alarmed that the MILF has suspended cooperation with its full implementation, including decommissioning. This is a dangerous turn of events that threatens to undo decades of painstaking progress toward peace.

We experienced firsthand that in fratricidal wars, it is workers who fall first. And we understand that real peace is not sealed by wishful thinking—it is secured by the vigilance of government and the continuing participation of the people.

We therefore strongly urge the immediate convening of a joint meeting of the Peace Implementing Panels of the GRP and the MILF to resolve outstanding issues, rebuild confidence, and return the peace process to its rightful track.

We likewise call on Malacañang—particularly Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Anton Lagdameo and OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.—to abandon divide-and-rule tactics that only deepen mistrust and risk reigniting conflict in Mindanao. Such an approach undermines not just the peace process but also the stability of the entire country.

For the labor movement, peace is not optional—it is fundamental. War is anathema to our very DNA. In every conflict, it is always the working class—whether among civilians or combatants—who bear the heaviest burdens of violence, displacement, and loss.

It is therefore imperative that the peace process is preserved, strengthened, and advanced. The future of Mindanao, and indeed the whole nation, depends on it.

WORKERS TO FIGHT HARDER IN THE 20TH CONGRESS FOR A LEGISLATED WAGE HIKE: TULOY ANG LABAN PARA SA DAAN-DAANG UMENTO SA KONGRESO—HINDI BARYA-BARYANG UMENTO MULA SA BULOK NA REGIONAL WAGE BOARDS!

2025-06-25T11:00:00.001+08:00

The National Wage Coalition, composed of BMP, KMU, NAGKAISA!, and TUCP, vows to continue, with even greater resolve, the historic fight for the first-ever legislated wage hike in nearly four decades in the 20th Congress. Workers will not back down from the failure of the 19th Congress to convene the bicameral conference to reconcile and finalize an enrolled wage hike bill. Stronger and wiser, workers together with their families will continue to march forward in calling on every legislator in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to refile and pass the legislated wage hike bill as their first and foremost priority measure as they reaffirm their rhetoric of support and commitment for its swiftest passage in the 20th Congress. This is supported by the May 2025 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that confirms what we have long known: 92% of Filipinos want the Senate to prioritize a minimum wage hike; 95% demand the same from the House. This is not only an overwhelming public clamor but a national consensus for wage justice.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has reiterated that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. is not against wage hikes because these will benefit workers. But this Administration must walk the talk: certify the legislated wage hike as urgent and include it among the priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) because this is the raise that our nation and our people long demand and deserve—not the too little, too late, and certainly always unjust and unfair yearly wage increases from the regional wage boards. Their wage orders are a mere pittance insulting and condemning workers with not even enough to feed their families nutritious food, send their children to school, access medical help, or afford decent housing. And now, with oil prices surging due to global geopolitical conflicts, the cost of nearly every basic necessity is set to soar even higher. Standing for the legislated wage hike is not only good politics because it is good public service—it is a social, economic, and moral imperative.

For 36 long years, over five million minimum wage earners have been deprived of their Constitutional right to a living wage, entrusting their survival to the mercy of obsolete, failed, and broken regional wage boards which, by regularly handing out token scraps and crumbs to workers like spare change thrown to beggars, have inculcated helplessness and hopelessness among our people, conditioning them to accept by hook or by crook, sometimes even with gratefulness, any ‘barya-barya’ wage adjustment because it is better than nothing at all. Yet, both employers groups and the economic managers of our Government still perpetuate this systemic exploitation, serving the interest of overflowing greed, obscene profits, and an oppressive status quo designed primarily to favor the richest to be even richer, leaving workers not only with empty promises but empty plates. Their fake tales and scare tactics that the legislated wage hike will kill jobs, destroy businesses, and crash the economy have been heard, debunked, and buried not only by academics, economists, civil society, informal workers, and minimum wage earners but by the House and the Senate which, after years of exhaustive deliberations and debates, passed their respective wage hike bills.

With more time, and no more excuses, as well as greater unity and political action, workers across the nation will further organize and mobilize to reach out the countless unorganized workers paid even below the minimum, escalate the struggle with more allies and champions inside and outside of Congress, and carry out this movement of resistance and righteous anger: TULOY ANG LABAN. DAANG-DAANG DAGDAG-SAHOD ANG PANAWAGAN.HINDI BARYA-BARYA! HINDI SA SUSUNOD NA TAON—KUNDI NGAYON!

19th Congress and Malacañang Betrayed Workers

2025-06-12T12:56:00.008+08:00

The 19th Congress has ended in treachery against the working class. The proposed ₱100-₱200 legislated wage hike, which was just two steps away from becoming law—requiring only bicameral approval and the President’s signature—was deliberately set aside and sacrificed in favor of capitalist interests.

There is no one else to blame for this betrayal but Martin Romualdez and Chiz Escudero, the two leaders of the 19th Congress who were not just slow and indolent, but deceptive and fraudulent. However, workers must not forget that Martin and Chiz merely follow the orders of their master, Marcos Jr., whose stance on wage hikes is to leave it to the useless regional wage boards.

There is no more fitting occasion for outrage against the three highest officials of the Philippines than this very Independence Day. These three should symbolize the lack of freedom of workers and the poor from poverty and hunger. They should represent the continuing oppression of the people, despite the so-called "progress" boasted by their economic managers.

The 20th Congress will open with the same leadership —all traitors to workers, all captured by capital. There is no new hope under the institutions they lead.

But we will not stop fighting for a just wage, the right to collective bargaining and organizing and the advancement of more reforms, including political reforms. Because if the working class gives up in the face of hopelessness, those in power will only further enjoy their wealth and power as a ruling class.

We did not gain freedom just to be ruled by them forever. True freedom and independece will one day be in the hands of the working class.

INDIGNATION STATEMENT - NAGKAISA: Senate Majority Turns Impeachment into Monkey Business

2025-06-11T08:04:00.002+08:00

We strongly denounce the Senate majority’s decision to return the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte without dismissing or trying the case. Instead of letting her face the music, they gave her a backstage pass — shielding her from facing the music of public accountability and justice.

Through procedural acrobatics and legal technicalities, they threw a monkey wrench into the process — reducing a solemn constitutional duty into nothing more than political theater.

The Senate could have conditionally proceeded while allowing the House, in a pre-trial conference, to:

1. Certify that there was no violation of the one-year impeachment bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution;

2. Clarify the timeline and sequence of earlier complaints; and

3. Assert that impeachment — like electoral protest cases — may rightfully cross over from one Congress to another, as supported by both Philippine precedent in the electoral tribunals and U.S. and British practice and jurisprudence.

But instead of action, they chose abdication. The legal giants are gone — and in their place, small minds now dominate with alacrity, dragging the Senate’s reputation down and turning it into a global laughingstock.

This is not how justice is done — it’s how truth is buried.

Senate Must Proceed with VP Duterte Impeachment Trial — Not Short-Circuit It

2025-06-09T17:00:00.002+08:00

The Senate has been procrastinating far too long. It is time to forthwith proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, as the Constitution commands — not to toy with shortcuts.

Naimpeach na po si Sara ng House kaya dapat ang Senado ay agad-agad na lilitisin siya. Iyan po ang utos ng ating Saligang Batas — let her face the music na. Iyan po ang ibig sabihin ng “shall forthwith proceed to trial” sa Section 3(6), Article XI ng 1987 Constitution.

Hindi pwedeng sumayaw palayo sa public accountability. The public must now demand not whether to impeach — that step is done — but that the Senate proceed with the trial as mandated.

Yet Senator Tolentino now proposes to abbreviate the trial to just 19 days that ends on June 30. That is far too short.

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition disagrees with Tolentino’s proposal.

Past impeachments were never rushed. President Estrada’s trial took 22 trial days (cut short by a walkout and the EDSA 2 that followed). Chief Justice Corona’s trial took 44 trial days over several months. Rushing a trial today would deny due process to both the prosecution and defense, violate the Constitution, and undermine the Senate’s duty to conduct a fair and credible proceeding.

Moreover, NAGKAISA emphasizes that an impeachment trial can and should continue even if it crosses into the 20th Congress. The Senate exercises institutional and continuing jurisdiction over such trials.

U.S. experience — the very model upon which the Philippine impeachment system was patterned — clearly shows this principle. The framers of our 1987 Constitution adopted much of the U.S. Senate’s role and procedures in impeachment trials. In U.S. history:

• President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021 was conducted by a new Congress after the impeachment by the House in a prior term.

• President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial likewise carried over into a new congressional session.

• Judge West Humphreys’ impeachment trial in 1862 proceeded after a change in Congress.

• In British parliamentary history — another reference for our drafters — House of Lords impeachment trials routinely continued across new parliaments.

Thus, there is no constitutional obstacle to continuing the VP Duterte impeachment trial into the next Congress. What is needed is political will to uphold the Constitution and the people’s demand for accountability.

The public demands justice — not short cut and cover up.

Nagkaisa Hails Deferment of UHC Amendments: A Victory for Health, A Win for Workers!

2025-06-08T13:57:00.004+08:00

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition warmly welcomes the deferment of the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act—a major win for healthcare justice and the millions of workers who depend on PhilHealth for life-saving services.

Under mounting pressure from healthcare professionals, workers, and civil society advocates, the Congressional bicameral conference committee backed down from advancing what would have been harmful and regressive changes to the UHC Law. In a stunning but welcome move, the committee decided to put the amendments on hold.

“This is a huge relief for everyone who believes in universal, accessible, and affordable healthcare,” said Nagkaisa Spokesperson Rene Magtubo.

“Workers contribute to PhilHealth, rely on it in times of need, and deserve to be heard before any law is rewritten. Congress must ensure that the UHC dream is not derailed by shortsighted proposals,” Magtubo added.

This groundswell of opposition follows massive protests over the blatant defunding of PhilHealth—when ₱60 billion was sequestered from its fund in 2024, and the agency was given zero budget in 2025. These attacks on public healthcare triggered outrage across sectors, deepening public mistrust and fueling calls to defend and strengthen—not sabotage—universal health care.

Nagkaisa emphasized that the deferment now gives the incoming 20th Congress a crucial opportunity to conduct broad, meaningful, and inclusive consultations—with healthcare workers, patients, civil society, and the working people who pay premiums and rely on PhilHealth to survive medical crises.

The decision came just in time: a massive rally organized by the UHC Collective and Nagkaisa was set to take place at the Senate tomorrow. The mobilization will continue—not in protest, but in vigilance and solidarity, to ensure that any future reforms strengthen, not gut, the vision of universal healthcare.

“This fight is not over. But today, we celebrate a crucial win. Congress heard the people. Now, we demand that they keep listening,” Magtubo concluded.

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition Calls on Congress to Defer the Proposed Amendments to the Universal Healthcare Law

2025-06-07T14:06:00.002+08:00

The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition calls on our Senators and Congressmen to defer the forthcoming bicameral conference committee meeting to reconcile Senate Bill 2620 and House Bill 11357, bills amending the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act of 2019. The proposed amendments will have a grave effect on the financial sustainability of the country’s national health insurer, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and hinder PhilHealth from effectively carrying out its mandate of lowering out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures for all Filipinos.

Both HB 11357 and SB 2620 lower the premium contributions of PhilHealth direct contributors – from 5% to 3.25% for the Senate version and 3.5% for the House version. This will lead to PhilHealth’s deficit ballooning to P90 billion in 2025.

We acknowledge the intent of some legislators to give workers a reprieve from paying high premiums, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the long term impact of the reduction of premiums, which will ultimately affect the workers’ right to accessible and affordable health care.

Lowering PhilHealth’s premiums at this time is ill-advised, given the controversial defunding of PhilHealth in the 2025 National Budget. The Supreme Court decision on the petitions questioning the constitutionality of the transfer of P60 billion of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury, for which NAGKAISA is a petitioner-intervenor, has yet to be released. This will likely have an impact on the implementation of Universal Healthcare; thus, it is prudent to wait for the Court’s decision before amending existing legislation.

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition calls on the House of Representatives and the Senate to give the Universal Healthcare Act a chance to be fully implemented and to do a thorough assessment of UHC rather than hastily passing a bill which puts the continued roll out and expansion of benefits for the Filipino people in peril. We call on our legislators to hold a multi-sectoral consultation including workers, who pay their premium contributions, rely on PhilHealth to fund life-saving healthcare, and are fervent in their hope that the dream of affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare for all will be realized.

Nagkaisa calls for presidential certification of pending wage hike bills in Congress

2025-05-02T10:00:00.008+08:00

Amid rising hunger and the prospect of higher inflation and prolonged lean months due to the impact of El Niño, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition calls for Presidential certification of wage hike bills now pending before Congress.

The call was in response to President Bongbong Marcos's (PBBM) pre-Labor Day order for the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB) to review wage orders across various regions.

"We are afraid the President was not truly informed by his cabinet on how the regional wage boards have effectively kept minimum wages below the poverty thresholds during the last 35 years. The current system under RTWPB is insufficient to meet the basic needs of Filipino workers," said Nagkaisa Chair Sonny Matula.

Matula explained that the regional wage boards cannot solve the structural problem of discrimination and the perpetuation of low wages in the regions that workers experienced in during the last 35 years. Thus, there is a critical need for national action through legislative fiat.

He added that while the President did not specifically mention a legislative wage increase in his speech yesterday, he can do so anytime as it is within his powers and discretion without undermining the independence of Congress, which is the concern of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

“We cannot continue repeating the same actions and expect different results. Therefore, we cannot tackle the persistent issues of low wages and discrimination against agricultural workers and those in rural areas using old strategies. This desperate situation, which has persisted for 35 years, calls for new approaches, specifically legislative action,” emphasized Matula.

The coalition reminded both the Executive and Legislative departments of government of the recent surveys underscoring the urgency of this issue. Results from a survey conducted from March 21 to 25 revealed a 1.6-point increase in hunger compared to findings from December 2023, with involuntary hunger reaching its highest in Metro Manila at 19 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 15.3 percent, Visayas at 15 percent, and Mindanao at 8.7 percent.

"While RTWPBs can make wage adjustments moto propio or by wage petitions, we find it more imperative that our legislators act swiftly to pass the PHP 150 wage hike bill. This is not just an increase; it’s a necessary step towards economic recovery and stability for our nation's workforce," concluded Matula. ###

PH labor group seeks release of Hong Kong TU leaders and activists

2024-11-30T08:00:00.005+08:00

The NAGKAISA Labor Coalition condemns the mass sentencing of pro-democracy trade unionists and activists in Hong Kong.

Accordingly, the group calls for the immediate release of the 45 detainees after Hong Kong's national security-designated judges handed down their sentences last week for the crime of conspiracy to commit subversion under the National Security Law (NSL).

Among the convicted are trade unionists Carol Ng Man-yee, former chairperson of the now-defunct Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), and Winnie Yu Wai-ming, the founder and chairperson of the now-defunct Hospital Authority Employees Alliance (HAEA).

The two, together with other union leaders and activists, aimed at bringing workers’ voices into the Legislative Council by exercising their legitimate rights to political participation and freedom of expression in their fight for democracy and freedom. Defending these democratic rights, we maintain, should never be considered a criminal offense.

However, despite appeals from the international community, Carol has been sentenced to 4 years and 5 months, while Winnie will have to spend 6 years and 9 months in prison. Carol Ng and Winnie Yu had already spent 1,361 and 1,141 days in custody prior their sentence as their detention while on trial lasted roughly three years.

The UN Human Rights Committee has previously called on the Hong Kong government to repeal the NSL, citing its “overly broad interpretation and arbitrary application” undermined judicial independence and the right to a fair trial. This is further aggravated by the Hong Kong government’s strategy of silencing dissent highlighted by the prolonged pretrial detention and drawn-out trial.

Finally, NAGKAISA calls on the Hong Kong government to respect the freedom of association and expression enshrined in the International Human Rights and Labour Conventions, and stop using the National Security Law to stifle dissent, dismantle trade unions, and persecute activists.

Laban ng Manggagawa sa Harap ng Pambansang Kalamidad

2024-11-27T12:00:00.005+08:00

Mula sa nakaraang SONA hanggang sa Araw ni Gat Andres Bonifacio, o hanggang sa Kapaskuhan ay makikita kung nasaan ang buong atensyon ng pamahalaan. Wala sa mga hinaing ng manggagawa at mamamayan kundi nasa layuning panghalalan.

Natagpuan at nabusisi na ng Quadcom and P125-M confidential fund ni Sara Duterte, pero ang P150 wage hike sa LaborCom nasaan na? Araw-araw ay halos may public hearing ang QuadCom na binuo lamang noong Agosto. Ang huling hearing ng Labor Committee para sa legislated wage hike ay noon pang nakaraang Mayo. Habang sa Senado ay noong Pebrero pa naipasa ang P100 wage hike. Masaya na silang nakikitang ang manggagawa ay binabarat ng mga regional wage board.

Hindi na rin nagpatawag ang LaborCom ng Kamara ng iba pang pagdinig sa iba pang labor issues katulad ng anti-endo na security of tenure (SOT) bills. Nasaan ang Palasyo at Kongreso sa mga usaping ito? Nasaan si BBM at si Martin? Kung itutulak lamang ng dalawang lider na ito ang pagsasabatas ng wage hike at pagpapatigil sa endo, matutugunan ang mga kahilingan ng manggagawa habang hinabol ang pananagutan ng mga Duterte sa mga krimen at katiwaliang nagawa.

Kaya sa Araw ni Gat Andres Bonifacio ay magmamartsa ang mga kasapi ng Nagkaisa Labor Coalition mula Espana patungong Mendiola upang isigaw na harapin ng gobyerno ang mga kahilingan para sa pagsasabatas ng dagdag sahod na P150 pataas; pagpapatigil sa endo o kontraktwalisasyon sa pribado at pampublikong sektor; at pagwawakas sa karahasan sa kababaihan.

Nahaharap ang bansa sa pambansang kalamidad. Sunod-sunod na mga bagyo na pumipinsala sa buhay at kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan. Dagdag-pabigat ito sa kahirapang nararanasan ng mga mangggagawa na kapos ang kita at sweldo at kung gayon, ay walang kakayahang paghandaan ang pinsalang dulot ng mga kalamidad.

Bunga ito ng ilang dekadang kapabayaan ng gobyerno na i-angat ang buhay ng mamamayan. Bunga ito ng pamamayapag ng dinastiya sa pulitika, at kawalang kalayaan ng mga Pilipino sa maraming bagay. Ang mga ito ay patuloy na sumasalamin sa paniniwala noon ni Bonifacio na walang kaginhawahan kung walang kalayaan.

Lahat ngayon ay halos dinadaan na lamang sa ayuda na ang mas pakay ay pampabida, kaysa pagsasabatas ng mga hakbang na pampagaan sa buhay ng manggagawa. Hindi agenda ang pagbabagong pangmatagalan ang pakinabang. Ito ay dahil lahat ng atensyon mga mga dinastiya ay para sa pansariling kapakanan. Ang kahirapan sa buhay ng manggagawa at mamamayan ay kabiguan ng ganitong uri ng panunungkulan.

Ang mga dinastiyang pulitikal, samakatwid, ay matuturing din na kalamidad. Ang dinastiya, samakatwid, ang dapat i-endo hindi ang manggagawang Pilipino!

State of the Nation’s Minimum Wages: A National Week of Action Calling for Across-the-Board Wage Increase

2024-07-15T10:42:00.004+08:00

With the average minimum wage across the regions equating to a mere fraction of the living wages, the National Wage Coalition (NWC), representing workers across various industries and sectors, has demanded and fought time and time again for a wage increase of at least ₱150. We have proposed House Bills with provisions for an across-the-board wage increase that shall benefit all workers. What has the government done? President Bongbong Marcos instructed the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) to conduct a wage review. The NWC attended hearings to argue for the necessity of a significant increase, yet the RTWPB for the National Capital Region provided only a meager additional ₱35.00 for workers in the region. The Regional Wage Boards have once again proven their unreliability and irrelevance.

The National Wage Coalition demands President Bongbong Marcos to certify as urgent the proposed legislative House Bills for across-the-board wage increases, which will enable workers to beat the ever-turbulent nature of inflation and provide them with livable wages. Once certified, the House of Representatives must act with utmost urgency. His order addressed to the RTWPB to conduct a wage review has proven a failure. The only way forward is through the legislated bills languishing in the House of Representatives.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the House of Representatives’ Committee on Labor and Employment has failed to address the workers demand for wage increase with urgency and genuine concern. You need not wait for the President’s directive. You have a say in determining the economic futures of our workers. It is high time that you heed and address the calls of the united Filipino workers for livable wages: prioritize and expedite the passing of the proposed House Bills 7871, 514, and 7568.

The National Wage Coalition will keep ramping up the pressure as the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) approaches. Throughout this week, the Coalition’s constituent organizations and their respective locals and affiliates shall hold actions to call for the long-awaited across-the-board wage increase. The Coalition will push forward with our demands until all of our workers receive a much-needed and livable wage.

The Regional Wage Boards are Unreliable and Unjust!

2024-07-01T16:00:00.006+08:00

The National Wage Coalition’s Statement on the Recently Issued Wage Increase

The new ₱35.00 wage increase for NCR workers issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board - National Capital Region office (RTWPB-NCR) is a disgrace. After several legislative proposals for an across-the-board wage increase, numerous actions held on the streets, and hearings with the labor sector — all with the intent to call and demand for a fair wage increase to adjust for inflation and the ever-changing value of our salaries, the RTWPB’s increase is nothing short of a heartless disregard for the economic crises faced by our workers and families.

The National Wage Coalition (NWC), which represents workers across various sectors and industries, has demanded for a wage increase no less than ₱150. Our minimum wages do not amount to liveable wages. We have presented our arguments based on factual and credible research. And yet our efforts amount to a low increase. The ₱35 increase does not even amount to measly change; it is not even sufficient for a kilo of rice. It makes up for only 30% of the lost value of wages in the NCR, which reached ₱100 according to the Consumer Price Index of May 2024. The NWC has stated before that the RTWPB-NCR has had 35 years’ worth of failure to issue fair and livable wage increases. This recent increase is no failure. It is the deliberate demonstration of the Board’s lack of empathy towards the economic needs of the working class.

With the RTWPB-NCR showing once again their unreliability and heartlessness, the National Wage Coalition demands Congress to address our calls accordingly. In light of this disrespectful and disgusting ₱35 increase by the RTWPB, Congress and the House of Representatives’ Committee on Labor must pass our proposed bills for an across-the-board increase of at least ₱150. Additionally, they must recognize the uselessness and irrelevance of the RTWPB-NCR and conduct a congressional review of our wage fixing policies under RA 6727. It is clear that such policies are insufficient and unreflective of our current economic needs. The RTWPB refuses to meet our demands, thus their existence must be challenged, questioned, and ultimately discontinued.

The National Wage Coalition urges the greater Philippine labor movement and all Filipino workers to press on with the fight for higher and fairer wages. We must act in solidarity in addressing Congress, so that they may truly understand the needs of the working class. You know the worth of your labor and more importantly, the value of your personal life and needs. And while this laughable ₱35 increase may be a setback, so long as we persevere, the fight for a higher wage continues.