THE BIGGEST labor coalition in the Philippines renewed its call for a legislated wage hike of P150 on Thursday, asking lawmakers to take note of the “disappointing” P33 raise set by the regional wage board for minimum wage workers in Central Visayas.
“Nagkaisa, other labor groups, and concerned citizens are now fervently calling for an urgent legislative wage hike as a necessary measure to cope with the existing needs of families,” Jose “Sonny” G. Matula, chairperson of Nagkaisa and president of the Federation of Free Workers, said in a Viber message.
While the wage order increased non-agriculture workers’ minimum pay from P420 to P468 a day, Cebu City-based labor groups had earlier sought a P292.50 across-the-board increase.
Nagkaisa in Central Visayas is “disappointed as it falls significantly short of addressing the pressing issue of wage recovery in the face of skyrocketing inflation and the ever-increasing cost of living,” said Mr. Matula.
Mr. Matula called the recent wage increase a “minimal measure” to address the calls of the labor sector and falls short of helping workers cope with the soaring costs of basic goods.
Under the Labor Code, wage boards must consider the demand for a living wage, wage adjustment in the consumer price index, the changes in the cost of living in the region, and the needs of workers and their families among others.
Labor groups have called for legislated wage increases and for lawmakers to review the existing regional setting system, saying the meager wage increases will not help workers.
Last June 29, the Metro Manila regional wage board approved a P40 increase, bringing the daily minimum wage to P610 a day from P570.
But it is much lower than the amount sought by the Unity for Wage Increase Now: a P570 increase that would set the day’s minimum wage in Metro Manila at P1,100.
In March, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri filed a bill that seeks to increase the wages of all workers by P150.
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines has said a legislated wage hike should also consider workers in less formal employment, noting that private sector workers only make up 16% of the labor force.
“While it’s called a ‘wage increase,’ this wage adjustment is less than half of wage recovery proposed by trade unions,” Mr. Matula said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
