LABOR group Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged Congress on Wednesday to enact a P150 increase in the daily wage before the end of the year.
“If the Senate and the House can act on the P150 pesos across-the-board wage increase, it would be a significant help for ordinary workers, as it will boost the economy, particularly in rural areas,” FFW vice president Nelfa Bermudez said in a statement.
The FFW made the call after National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon said on Tuesday that the income of Filipinos must match the inflation rate, noting that last month’s easing of the inflation rate to 4.9% does not reflect the continuous rise in prices of goods.
Recently, the Zamboanga Region wage board approved the P30 minimum wage increase for private sector workers and the P600 monthly pay hike for domestic workers, which the FFW said is “insufficient, [but] will augment the take home pay of workers in said region.”
The labor group said a nationwide wage hike, instead of orders from regional wage boards, is needed.
Four regions in Mindanao (Northern Mindanao, Davao, Caraga, and Bangsamoro) have not yet implemented wage increase this year that could “address the inherent regional inequality in minimum wage fixing,” said Joel Tongco, union president of Cagayan de Oro City labor group Macajalar Labor Union.
“We need a strong influx of economic stimulus for the economy to grow through a nationwide wage hike of P150 per day,” he added. — Jomel R. Paguian
