AN INCREASE in the wages of photocopy personnel has been hammered out, following the efforts of the student group One Initiative Movement (OIM).

In a text message sent to The GUIDON last November 11, alumnus and OIM founder RLance Chua said, “Today, we stand strong. Just now, after the meeting of the Xerox ladies with their boss, it was decided na P400+ na ang wage nila per day (that the photocopy personnel’s wages would be increased to P400+ per day).”

OIM, an organization formed in 2008 by a group of sophomores, has been advocating the wage increase for the said personnel for two years now, closely monitoring developments in the effort known as the “Xerox Ladies Project” (XLP).

David de Castro, a member of OIM, said in an email interview that the project’s main objective was to assure these personnel of minimum wage, so that their standards of living may be raised.

As stated in XLP’s WordPress site, the photocopy personnel receive an income below minimum wage, amounting to P204 per day with a P20 commission per ream of paper.

“By means of interviews with the personnel, the organization came to know that their income is significantly insufficient to meet their expenses. The personnel even said that receiving minimum wage—the goal of the project—will be of great help to them in securing basic needs,” de Castro said.

He explained that the XLP is in line with one of OIM’s core competencies, which is to “[achieve] positive change through projects for the underprivileged.”

“The photocopying personnel who receive salaries below the minimum wage are a disadvantaged group—right inside the walls of the Ateneo,” he added. “As an institution which upholds principles of solidarity with the poor and ethical business, Ateneo faces the challenge of translating sympathy for the underprivileged into productive action points.”