Source: www.cbcpnews.com

MANILA, April 2, 2011—A broad alliance was formed to counter the effects of soaring food, fuel and service prices, especially the laborers and the poor.

Called “Unity for P125”, the group was formed to pressure the Philippine legislators to pass House Bill 3475 that aims to increase the basic minimum wage by P125, to cushion the impact of inflation on daily wage earners. The fight for the P125 across-the-board nationwide increase had begun in 1999, the time when the impact of the Asian financial crisis is sweeping across the region, causing the erosion of the salaries of workers and employees up to 46 percent.

The Unity for P125 is composed of different trade unions in Metro Manila, including University of the Philippines Hotel Workers Union (UHWU), Pepsi Cola Labor Unity (PCLU), Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa South Supermarket (SMSSM), Comfoods Employees Labor Association (CELA), Bleustar Workers Labor Union (BWLU), Journal Employees Union (JEU), Aksyon Manggagawa, Kilusang Mayo Uno – National Capital Region (KMU-NCR), Koalisyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Komunidad (KMK), Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap – NCR (Kadamay-NCR), Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Konstruksyon (SMK), ANGLO-NCR, Wage Hike Network, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – National Capital Region (Bayan-NCR), Gabriela – NCR and Sining Bugkos.

“The Filipino workers and their families need to cope up with the deepening poverty caused by high prices in the country. Such coping mechanism must be initiated none the less by our government, as its moral and social obligation. It is in high time for the Aquino administration to do something significant for the Filipino workers. Now, more than ever is the best time for the Palace to give an immediate economic relief to our toiling countrymen who suffered long enough with the burden of high prices. We can no longer wait for PNoy’s delaying condition of a 5% inflation rate before granting another round of wage increase this year… No time for execuses, this time,” said Larry Jaca, Unity for P125 spokesperson and UHWU president, in a press statement.

The Unity for P125 will launch different activities in order to gather more support for their course, Jaca said. (Noel Sales Barcelona)

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