MANILA, Philippines — With the meager P40 increase in the minimum wage in Metro Manila, the Senate remains unwavering in its commitment to increasing the wages for all workers nationwide through a legislated wage hike, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said yesterday.
Zubiri added that he is confident that with the release a few days ago of Pulse Asia’s recent nationwide survey – conducted from June 19 to 23 about the most urgent national concerns overall – where there is an overwhelming clamor for wage increases, the Senate will listen to Filipinos and fulfill its mandate of advancing their welfare.
He said he would use that survey as “Exhibit A” or basis to convince his colleagues to support the measure when the Senate resumes deliberation on the legislated wage hike.
Businessmen, however, are opposed to a legislated wage hike, and instead prefer the tripartite regional boards as the mechanism for determining wages.
They have warned that an across-the-board wage hike set by Congress could force business shutdowns and downsizing that would mean job losses.
Zubiri said the idea is to have a uniform P150 minimum wage increase nationwide, and they are eyeing several proposals on how to accomplish this.
“We can make it graduated. For example, in the NCR (National Capital Region), we will add P100, won’t we? In Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, let’s make it P150 so that it will be the same for all. Or let’s make it P110 for Metro Manila, then P150 for the rest,” Zubiri explained.
The National Wages and Productivity Commission approved last month a P40 increase in the minimum wage of private sector workers in Metro Manila. The order takes effect mid-July. The wage order is expected to directly benefit 1.1 million minimum-wage earners in the NCR.
“That’s what we need to focus on, and I promise that. The Senate will make a stand on this issue. I know many will be angry with our businessmen, but… they also need to share grace with our workers,” Zubiri said in an interview aired over radio station dwIZ over the weekend.
Citing the latest Pulse Asia survey, he added that increasing the pay of workers ranked second among the top issues at 44 percent after controlling inflation, which stood at 63 percent.
Pulse Asia also surveyed Filipinos on how much they spend on regular monthly household expenses such as housing, food, electricity, water, communications, transportation.
Some 38 percent of the respondents answered P15,001 or more, while 17 percent answered P14,001 to P15,000 and only 13 percent said they spend lower than P8,000.
The same survey also asked respondents whether or not they are in favor of the proposal to increase by P150 the daily minimum wage of workers in the private sector. Ninety-seven percent said they agree to the proposal.
For Zubiri, this question was actually a “rider” that his office pushed for inclusion in the Pulse Asia survey questions, asking respondents whether or not they are in favor of a P150 wage hike nationwide.
He said the results were “astounding,” as almost a hundred percent agreed to the proposal and means that, without a doubt, there is a clamor for a P150 wage increase among private sector workers in Metro Manila.
“I will also share because I also put a rider question on Pulse Asia. One of the things I put was whether they would agree, or whether the salary of our compatriots is low or enough,” the Senate president said.
“About 97 percent said it was not enough, and they wanted to raise their wages. Only two percent said that it is enough and the other one percent is undecided. That means, 97 percent of our population are really asking our government to raise their wages,” he added.
Across-the-board adjustment
As the P40 salary increase for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila took effect yesterday, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged employers in the region to grant across-the-board adjustment to all employees.
The FFW said granting pay hikes across all employee categories would prevent possible labor disputes and even promote overall workplace productivity.
“The Department of Labor and Employment offers certain recommended formulas for wage distortion adjustments. However, the most effective, straightforward and simplest method is an across-the-board wage increase, particularly among rank-and-file employees,” FFW vice president Jun Ramirez said in a statement.
Ramirez added that the latest pay increase would bring wage distortion that could lead to “unfairness and potential unrest among the workforce” since it disrupts the hierarchy of the wage scale.
With the new wage order, minimum wage earners will now receive a daily pay of P610, thus he emphasized that those earning P590, P610, and P620 should also receive a wage distortion adjustment rather than a nominal or no increase.
“It would be unfair for the third and fourth workers who will not receive any increase as they are already earning P610 or above,” the FFW official said. — Mayen Jaymalin