Valentines' Day protests by gov't workers presses for P3,000 salary hike

* From the Office of Anakpawis Representative Crispin B. Beltran


Reference: Rep. Crispin Beltran

Lisa C. Ito, Public Information Officer (+63)927.796.7006

Tel. # (+632) 931-6615 Email: crispinbeltran@gmail.com

URL: http://www.geocities.com/ap_news
*
*NEWS RELEASE *

February 14, 2006
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*Valentines' Day protests by gov't workers presses for P3,000
across-the-board salary hike *

*Rep. Beltran hits Pres. Arroyo's 'lack of love for legislated wage hikes'*

Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran hit Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's "lack of
love for workers' legislated wage hikes' as thousands of government
employees today staged a Valentines' Day Rally in protest against worsening
poverty, retrenchment, and low salaries.

"Contrary to what she likes to flaunt, Pres. Arroyo has demonstrated no love
for our nation's workers, whether they be in the private or the public
sectors. This is seen in the way the Palace consistently snubs and thumbs
down our demands for a legislated across-the-board and nationwide wage hikes
of P3,000 for government employees and P125 for workers in the private
sector," the veteran labor leader said.

Beltran renewed his demand for the Committee on Appropriations "to finally
take urgent and decisive action on House Bill 1064, which legislates a
P3,000 across-the-board salaryhike for government employees".

"The call to legislate a P3,000 wage hike has been gathering dust in the
Lower House for five long years. It is high time that Congress do some
concrete action to significantly increase the take-home pay of government
workers by allowing this increase," he said.

Beltran also scored President Arroyo's "two-faced gestures towards
impoverished workers". "There is a double standard here. Pres. Arroyo has
made a great deal about her urgent call for a P1,000 monthly allowance for
government employees, which has not materialized yet. Yet, she chose to
coldly ignore the half-a-decade demand for a P3,000 salary hike increase and
has never ever attempted to certify it as an urgent piece of legislation,"
he noted.

"An increase in basic pay is one of the most concrete ways of giving our
workers their worth for their labor and skills. The President's utter lack
of love for legislated wage hikes only shows how insincere and anti-worker
she is," he said.

Earlier, the Confederation for Unity, Recognition, and Advancement of
Government Employees (COURAGE) announced nationwide protests by employees
from the Department of Agriculture, including its Line Bureaus and attached
agencies such as the National Food Authority, National Irrigation
Administration, National Fisheries Council, Bureau of Animal Industry,
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Agricultural
Statistics, Bureau of Agricultural Research, Philippine Fisheries
Development Authority, National Tobacco Administration, Sugar Regulatory
Administration.


Also participating in the Valentines' Day Rally are employees from the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and related agencies
such as the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Protected Areas and Wildlife
Bureau, Environment Management Bureau, Forest Management Bureau; and the
Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Agrarian Reform, Labor and
Employment, Trade and Industry, Finance, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of
Internal Revenue, MMDA, National Housing Authority, as well as water
districts and local government units.

Congressional staff in the Lower House will also be wearing pins in support
of the passage of the HB 1064 and HB 345 (for a P125 across-the-board wage
increase for workers in the private sector). ###