May 1st, which is celebrated as Labour Day in the Philippines, a group of approximately 1,000 workers and activists gathered in Iligan City to participate in a street demonstration demanding an increase in the minimum wage by more than 50 percent. The demonstration was held under the blazing sun, as the participants braved the heat to raise their voices for their cause.
The protest was organised by Jane Bernardo, a leader from Partido Manggagawa, and was joined by several other groups who came together to fight for the rights of workers across the country. The primary objective of the demonstration was to push the government to implement a uniform minimum wage of P1,234 per day for all workers nationwide. This amount was more than thrice the current minimum daily wage of P405 in Iligan and other urban areas in Northern Mindanao.
Apart from the wage increase, the protesters also demanded the no-nonsense protection of workers’ rights and their trade unions. They called for the government to take a more serious approach to safeguarding the rights of the workers and to prevent their exploitation by employers. The demonstrators hoped that their voices would be heard and that their demands would be taken into consideration, resulting in a fair and just treatment of workers in the Philippines.
