Labor Day fun runs, job fairs, rallies in Cebu

RALLIES,  fun runs and job fairs mark today’s observance of Labor Day in Cebu.

Separate rallies will be held by two labor coalitions to air their demands for a wage increase.

A coalition of 21 labor groups called Nagkaisa (United) kicks off their march rally at the Associated Labor Unions (ALU) office in Pier 1, Cebu City.

The rally will end at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional office at  Plaza Independencia.

ALU area vice president Ferdinand Jumapao said they will renew calls for a P90 increase across the board.

The coalition said it supports the abolition of contractualization and the passage of the security of tenure bill for workers.

The National Coalition for the Protection of Workers’ Rights (NCPWR) will assemble at Fuente Osmeña circle, then go to  downtown Colon Street for a program.

NCPWR convenor Casimero Mahilum said they seek  the abolition of contractualization which they consider the “silent killer” of labor.

Mahilum said they also support the abolition of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board which he said was biased in favor of management.

He it’s better to have a legislated wage increase in order to avoid regional discrimination.

“Why do we have different wage increases? We eat the same food, we all suffer from the same high prices of gasoline,” he said.

The DOLE said four job fairs will be held simultaneously in the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete today.

DOLE Regional Director  Ma. Gloria Tango said the wage board is still gathering data to determine if there are supervening conditions to justify a new hike in the daily minimum wage of P305 in Metro Cebu.

The last  wage order was issued last Sept. 22 or seven months ago.

Under the law, a wage increase can only be granted one year after the latest wage increase took effect.

Around 25,000 vacant jobs are available in the job fairs in Cebu- Abellana National School grounds, SM Cebu and Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

Tango said 48 local establishments will participate in CICC, with 45 local businesses in SM Cebu and 20 recruitment agencies in Abellana. Most of the jobs are in call centers, stores and malls and even skilled workers.

“We are targeting around 15 percent of the total applicants to be hired on the spot”, Tango said.

In Cebu City, Mayor Michael Rama said he wants to know the guidelines for the recent salary increase order issued by President Benigno Aquino III for local and national government workers.

Veronica Morellos, head of Cebu City Hall’s Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), said the last wage increase for government employees ordered by former president Gloria Arroyo was implemented in four to five tranches.

She said the city government she said is still in the third tranch of implementing the previous wage increase order.

Wage increases are implemented starting January of each year and its appropriation is included in the annual budget.

Cebu City Hall has 5,000 employees. Rama said he will ask the City Council to locate and appropriate funds for this purpose.

He said the city will mark today’s Labor Day observance with a fun run starting at the Cebu City Sports Center oval.

Busay Barangay captain Eleodoro Sanchez said the fun run is also part of the group “bonding” of Team Rama, the mayor’s local slate for next year’s elections.

Rama gave out yellow and green singlets during a luncheon meeting at the Rama compound for members of Team Rama.

Yellow is the party color of the Liberal Party (LP) which Team Rama is affiliated with while green stands for the environment.

In Mandaue City, companies and City Hall workers will hold a “solidarity run” for Labor Day, said Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede.

The vice mayor is the alternate chairman of the local Tripartite Industrial and Peace Council (TIPC-Mandaue).

“This is one way of showing our solidarity. For us, labor, management and the government sector are partners of development and can always solve any labor problem through open dialogues,” he said. /Carine M. Asutilla and Jhunnex Napallacan, Correspondents  with Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac and Correspondents Chito Aragon, Edison delos Angeles and Norman V. Mendoza