Workers’ group Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan or MAKABAYAN on Labor Day scored President Arroyo’s recent order for regional wage boards to convene and discuss possible wage increase for workers.

Tina Sator of Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya-Negros (KPD-Negros), in a statement, said that President Arroyo is just using the much-needed wage increase to prop up her flagging popularity rating. MAKABAYAN is a sectoral organization of KPD-Negros.

"Issues like wage should not be embellished by political posturing. To do anything less, would cast a doubt on the President’s sincerity to give temporary relief to the toiling masses," Sator said.

" What is needed according to the labor group is a decisive president who is capable of sending a message to employers to moderate their greed and provide reasonable across the board wage increase by way of executive order pending legislation," Sator added.

The workers’ group further said that wage increase should be national and across the board to level the playing field among small and big businesses.

The group also urged government to provide unemployment subsidy as a precautionary measure to address a possible increase in the number of unemployed Filipinos due to the current crisis.