In a statement recently released by General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) Secretary-General Wennie Sancho, he said the imposition of excise taxes under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte brings “another struggle for the Filipino people.”

He said the added taxes on coal and fuel would raise prices on basic commodities and services.

The GAWA official also demanded another wage hike in the first quarter of the year, claiming it would “protect the erosion of the workers’ purchasing power.”

Last year, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) approved a salary increase for workers in Negros Occidental and Western Visayas. Meanwhile, back in October, the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NFSW) demanded a P50 wage increase and, in November, Wage Order No. 2 raised pay for house helpers.

“The government is filled with contradictions, especially on matters such as ‘endo’ (ending job contractualization) and stalled peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines.”/DGB, WDJ