TUCP submits agenda for May 1 Labor Day breakfast meeting with PNoy

By TUCP-NAGKAISA
April 12, 2015

QUEZON CITY – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa has submitted to Malacanang last Friday its proposed discount card and unemployment insurance programs for minimum-waged workers for approval of President Aquino on the traditional Labor day breakfast with labor groups in the palace on May 1.

The group also proposed to Aquino to approved a majority coconut-farmer administered trust fund to ensure the proceeds of the P77 billion coco levy are used to promote jobs in the coconut industry and to set up coco-industrial hubs, ensure the completion of CARP with respect to lands under current Notice of Coverage, assist the peasant farmers through appropriate support measures and financing including trainings, appropriate technology, and easy-term credit; a return of the subsidy for MRT and LRT users to cushion rising costs for ordinary workers; and pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) law.

“We have submitted to President Aquino our agenda on the May 1 breakfast meeting agenda. These are what we believe as amelioration programs aimed at empowering workers to cope with rising cost of living,” said Gerard Seno, executive vice president.

The measure, under the proposed Labor Enhancement Assistance Program (LEAP), will assist and empower the basic sectors include an unemployment insurance policy for the 3.4 million minimum wage earners providing three months of minimum wage salary coverage in cases of retrenchment and a minimum discount card that serves as a voucher or CCT-like program for minimum wage employees to give them a monthly discount on tuition fees, purchase of rice, basic food commodities, medicines worth P2,000.

On March 1 to 7 Pulse Asia Survey on urgent national concerns surfaced that 4 of the top 5 concerns relate to the daily survival needs of ordinary Filipinos. It showed 46% are crying out at inflation, 44% have said salaries are too small to cover daily expenses and another 34% said there are no decent jobs.