Cop hurt in Labor Day rally in Mendiola; workers push for 200 wage hike

A policeman was injured when a scuffle erupted between militant groups and the police over the steel barricades placed by the police on Recto Avenue in Manila to prevent the rallyists from entering Mendiola on Labor Day, May 1.

- By PATRICK GARCIA

The still unidentified police officer was pierced by the barbed wire wrapped around the barricades when protesters tried to remove them.

The police said the protesters belonging to various labor-centered groups tried to remove the steel barricades near the University of the East (UE) in Recto during their march towards Mendiola.

The protesters urged the national government to certify the proposed P200 wage hike bill as urgent.

House Bill No. 11376 has already been approved by the House of Representatives on second reading. It requires all private sector employers, regardless of size, to provide workers with a P200 daily wage increase.

According to Jerome Adonis of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and senatorial candidate of the Makabayan Coalition, the police violated the workers' right to express their demands for a living wage and job security.