Friday, May 02, 2008 Wage hike, job security for women workers sought By Grace L. Plata
THE International Labor Organization (ILO) reported in March 2008 that 26.25 percent of the employed women in the Philippines have remained low-paid and in low-productivity jobs compared to 10.94 percent of employed males.
The report prompted militant women's group, Gabriela, to call for wage increase and job security for women during Wednesday's celebration of Labor Day.
"Women workers are in conditions so much worse today under the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The economic development Arroyo boasts of having brought our country into, has placed more women workers in low-waged, low-productivity jobs, mostly in the service sector and without any security of tenure," the group said in a statement.
"The current situation of Filipino women workers puts them in a situation highly vulnerable to violence and abuse. The lack of available jobs with decent wages and the wide scale implementation of contractualization forces women to live with and to a certain extent, endure sexual harassment and other abuses, as well as unfair labor practices in the workplace," the group added.
In a separate statement, Gabriela Representative Luz Ilagan, who hails from Davao City, highlighted the plight of Mindanao workers.
"The non-wage benefits and the measly increases in allowances that the wage boards are preparing will not give the workers and their families much needed relief," Ilagan said in a statement.
Ilagan added there is a need for a legislated wage increase, saying that workers in Mindanao continue to receive the lowest minimum wage rates.
"A family of six in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) needs P1186.00 per day. Families in Armm have the highest daily cost of living requirement and yet workers in that same region receive the lowest wages, with the current rate of P200 per day," Ilagan said.
Ilagan and co-Gabriela party-list Representative Lisa Maza were among those who marched to Liwasang Bonifacio calling for the immediate legislation of the P125 across the board wage increase. (GLP with Press Release)
