A LABOR group slammed the proposed P500 budget “Noche Buena Package” by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), calling it an insult to workers who are now struggling to cope with high inflation.
In a brief statement issued last Monday, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) secretary general Jerome Adonis said the DTI recommendation is an attempt by the government to condition people to make do with their meager salaries.
“They advised us to be practical. It is like we are not being practical trying to get by with our small salaries for the needs of our family,” Adonis said in Filipino.
Last week, DTI issued a price list of food items, which can be used by Filipinos to prepare their traditional Christmas Eve dinner, which includes ham, pinoy pandesal, cheese, spaghetti, and fruit salad, which have a total cost of P488.
Adonis, however, said the list showed DTI’s disconnect to the plight of workers.
Rather than coming out with such a list, the government should just grant their demand for a wage hike, he said.
“They should try living as minimum wage earners,” the labor leader said.
Based on the latest data of the National Wages and Productivity Commission , the highest daily minimum wage rate is in Metro Manila for non-agriculture workers is at P570, while the lowest is P320 in Eastern Visayas.