The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is suggesting to the government a dedicated day for employers, a day before the yearly celebration of Labor Day on 1 May.

“On Employer’s Day, it is a working holiday that will officially and equally honor entrepreneurs as contributors to the country’s development,” said ECOP chairperson Edgardo Lacson in a Viber message on Thursday.

He said they are also suggesting that the government, the Department of Labor in particular, bestow awards based on classifications by business category, namely small, large, medium, and micro entrepreneurs.

Equality for employers, too

Meanwhile, Lacson said labor groups should understand that there should be a balance between employers and employees.

The ECOP official is reacting to the call of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance for a legislated national minimum wage based on a P1,200 family living wage, indexed to inflation and regional cost variations; a total ban on labor-only contracting and immediate regularization of long-term workers; strengthened enforcement of labor standards and support for independent labor organizing, and democratic reforms that empower working people to actively shape economic and political policies.

“The call for worker emancipation by granting all lawful demands is universal and eternal. But the government must discern between legitimate and lustful demands of labor groups driven by discarded ideologies. Investment equals employment is a fundamental truth that drives the economy toward progress,” Lacson noted.

Further, he said lustful desires for wages and benefits must be tempered by the reality of the country’s economic condition and the capacity of employers to pay.

“There is wisdom in the saying, ‘one cannot pour from an empty cup.’ The call for justice for workers is non-debatable, but such a call applies to employers as well. The government must distinguish the ethical from the lustful demands of labor groups,” Lacson told DAILY TRIBUNE.