๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ก ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ - WWU
๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ก ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ
QUEZON CITY, Philippines – A few days before Labor Day, Women Workers United (WWU) reiterated its demand for living wages and the elimination of the gender pay gap in both the private and public sectors. The group supports the P150 across the board legislated increase for wage recovery as the first step towards living wages, as well as the P750 daily wage increase for private sector workers and the passage of a new Salary Standardization Law anchored on the proposed P33,000/monthly minimum wage for public sector workers. All these proposed wage hike bills, the group says, are important in closing the gap between current averages in wages—at Php440 per day—and the Family Living Wage of Php1,207 per day, as estimated by thinktank IBON Foundation.
“Women workers stand to gain a great deal from a significant increase in minimum wage, considering women are often found in low-paying and elementary occupations. The persistence of gender-based discrimination in labor and employment, including gender wage gap and occupational gender segregation, leaves women performing jobs that are poorly remunerated for being considered pambabae or extensions of the reproductive work unfairly burdened by women,” explained WWU Co-convenor Jacq Ruiz.
The group said that this is prevalent in both private and public sectors. As an example, WWU cited the case of workers in food manufacturing where men are paid more because they are usually employed as machine operators; whereas women are relegated to equally important tasks in the line of production but for which wages are lower, like packing and sorting. In the agriculture sector, women fisherfolks in Panay reported that men received twice as much share as women in the net income from their fishing trips. In the case of public sector employees whose salaries are standardized based on positions, WWU highlighted the difference in the pay of and state support to women-dominated fields like education and healthcare, and that of male-led and dominated armed forces and law enforcement—with the former receiving lower salaries and government funding compared to the latter.
“A substantial increase in minimum wages will also induce upward pressure on wages in the informal sector, benefiting women workers who largely comprise it. Increasing the income of informal workers is especially important as they do not enjoy benefits and social protection measures that formally employed workers do, nor do they have the option to form unions and collectively bargain with employers. They not only have to ensure their health and welfare, but also that of their families, since women bear the brunt of care work. In fact, women’s meager income often goes to healthcare and other basic needs of the family, while their own welfare is left neglected,” added Jillian Roque, another WWU Co-convenor.
Roque continued, “As such, making public services accessible should also be part of ensuring women workers’ bigger share in the products of her labor.”
Ultimately, the group added, increasing wages across the board and raising the standards of living of women workers across different sectors will greatly contribute to achieving gender equality.
“Lastly, as we work towards addressing depressed wages and wage disparity, it is crucial that the government finally heed our demand for a national minimum wage that will afford all workers a decent standard of living. Filipino workers—women and men alike—deserve dignified wages and work, wherever they may be in the country,” called Jacq Ruiz.
The Women Workers United is set to participate in the upcoming Labor Day protest led by major labor centers and trade unions, with their rallying call:
๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ด๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ต๐ผ, ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ถ๐๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป! ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ต๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐! ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐! #
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