LABOR groups are entering 2026 with a dual mission: demanding economic justice for workers in Northern Mindanao while sounding the alarm on global conflicts that threaten the working class worldwide.

Locally, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition have set clear goals to improve workers' welfare, including a nationwide campaign for a P200 salary increase and a total ban on the "endo" (end-of-contract) practice.

Nagkaisa Chairperson lawyer Sonny G. Matula emphasized that 2026 must be the year labor practices change, specifically calling to stop the government’s own practice of hiring workers as job order or contract of service employees.

"The best bonus is the one seen in every worker's paycheck," Matula said.

Local Reality: 'Band-aid Solutions'

The call for a national wage hike comes as local groups criticize the recent P39 daily minimum wage increase in Northern Mindanao. Granted through Wage Order No. RX-24, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) said the hike will be split into two tranches: P25 on Jan. 16 and P14 on May 1, bringing the region's daily rate to P485-P500.

FFW legal counsel Proculo Sarmen dismissed the hike as "a paltry adjustment that fails to address the stark reality of poverty and inequality."

"It's a band-aid solution to a systemic problem, leaving workers struggling to make ends meet," Sarmen added.

Global Solidarity: The Venezuelan Conflict

While fighting for economic relief at home, the coalition is also casting its eye on the global stage, warning that geopolitical conflicts ultimately victimize the working class regardless of borders.

Nagkaisa has strongly condemned the recent US military attack on Venezuela, labeling it a "violation of national sovereignty and international law."

"The US attack is clearly another attempt to secure control over Venezuela's vast oil resources, putting profit and corporate interests over the lives and rights of workers," Matula said.

While acknowledging Venezuela's internal political crisis and questions regarding the democratic legitimacy of the Maduro administration, Nagkaisa emphasized that "even contested legitimacy does not give any foreign power a legal license to invade, bomb, kidnap, or 'run' another country."

Matula drew a sharp parallel between economic struggles at home and war abroad.

"We recognize that war, foreign intervention, and economic coercion always fall hardest on working people, destroying livelihoods, weakening labor rights, and undermining public services," he said.

The coalition urged democratic movements worldwide to oppose "imperialist war and resource plunder," standing in solidarity with Venezuelan trade unions calling for peace and social justice.