BINAKBAKAN ni Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri si Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma dahil sa pagkontra nito sa isinusulong na pagtataas ng sahod ng mga manggagawa sa buong bansa.
“I’m saddened and shocked to hear the statement of the Secretary of Labor in objecting to higher wages for the labor sector by rejecting our reasonable Minimum Wage hike bill that would increase by a modest 100 pesos across the board for all our minimum wage earners in the country,” ayon kay Zubiri.
Ang pagtututol anya ni Laguesma rito ay nagpapatunay lang na anti-labor ang pinuno ng DOLE na siya umanong dapat nangangalaga sa kapakanan ng mga manggagawa.
Nilabag din ni Laguesma ang utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. na repasuhin ang kasalukuyang minimum wage.
“It is obvious by the President’s own statement on the review of wages is that the Secretary has failed to protect workers interests and would rather speak for the interest of the business sector, whom we, in the legislature have already given several tax breaks and incentives through recent legislation,” dagdag pa ng senador.
“For the President to say that the Regional wage boards should be activated again when they recently came out with those measly increases show that the wage boards are ineffective in dealing with the crisis that Laborers are facing today with high inflation and food costs,” anya pa.
“It should be the Secretary that should lead the way on this and not the other way around,” giit pa nito.
Ayon pa kay Zubiri mas makabubuting layasan na ni Laguesma ang DoLE at pamunuan na lamang ang Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) kung pabor ito palagi sa mga employer.
