Cental Luzon workers seek P400 wage hike

MANILA, Philippines — Minimum wage earners in Central Luzon are seeking a daily pay increase of P400.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) filed yesterday a petition for the salary adjustment to bring the daily minimum wage in Central Luzon to P820.

“We are now demanding that the wage board do its duty to set a minimum wage that can really meet the basic needs of workers and their families in Region 3,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said.

If approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, the salary increase will benefit workers in Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Aurora.

Mendoza said the current minimum wage of P420 in the region amounts to P368.10 “in real terms” and is insufficient for the essential needs of workers.

“How can workers and their families cope with skyrocketing prices of food and commodities with that small income?” he asked.

The last salary increase granted by the Central Luzon wage board was P20 in 2019.

Mendoza said the adjustment has long been dissipated by price increases.