The laboring class all over the world celebrates today labor day not with fanfare but in agony given their sorry plight.
In the national capital region workers will demand for a P750 daily wage, a demand that is sure to fell on deaf ears.
It’ll surely not be granted not because the business sector can’t afford it but because capital wants to rake in more in profits than share such profit to their partners, the laboring class.
This has been the vicious cycle ever since capitalism as an economic order was put in place. Labor is squeezed by capital for their last ounce of sweat and blood just so the desired profit is earned.
But in the sharing of the fruits of labor’s hard work their contribution is given the least consideration as if capital was able to earn the profit they earned solely through their own effort, through their own sweat and blood.
Truth is it is because of labor’s contribution in the equation that enabled business to survive and achieve what it achieved. Just think of this. Will the malls, the manufacturing sector earn what they are currently earning if labor is removed from the equation in the production of their profit?
The problem lies not in the profitability of business enterprises but in the change of capital’s lifestyle. If they will only shun away from extravagant lifestyle and luxurious living, they will not need so much in sustaining such extravagant and luxurious lifestyle.
They need not maintain a fleet of luxurious cars. They don’t need to live in mansions that they only occupy for a few hours at night. If they will only shun away from gambling casinos, eat in restaurants whose names cost more than the food they serve, they would not need so much amount of money to maintain their luho.
Of course, this is pure wishful thinking. But this is possible and doable. If government, the great equalizer between the laboring class and capital, moves in to change the situation not by imposing more taxes on the rich for this is punitive but by limiting the ability of capital to absolutely enjoy the fruits of the toil and sacrifice of the laboring class.
Capital is already enjoying so much from their own business enterprises in the form of huge salaries even for their children who are not contributing anything to the business and allowances where all their expenses are made chargeable to the company they own including even groceries.
Government instead of giving so much tax perks and holidays to capital should instead clip capital’s access to profits after paying pittance to their workers. Profit should not solely be for capital after their huge salaries and allowances and other emoluments but should be earmarked for additional pay for the laboring sector and the further capitalization for expansion of the enterprise.
Government should tax the enterprise and simply collect income tax from both the laboring class and capital. And collect it accordingly thus eliminate the phenomenon where business titans are shown to be paying less income tax compared to some of their highly paid executives and employees.
An embrace of this idea will surely even up the playing field between labor and capital where at present it is lopsidedly favorable to the latter thus causing economic disparity that is avoidable. (jelbacon@yahoo.com; jelbaconii@gmail.com)
Wage increase a must
