Groups back P150 wage hike proposal

CEBU, Philippines —  Various labor groups welcomed Senate Bill No. 2002 filed by Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri which calls for a ?150 across-the-board increase of the minimum wages of workers in the private sector across the regions.

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines president Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza said that they welcome such initiative because this underscores the badly needed wage adjustment in light of the erosion of the purchasing power of workers’ wages due to inflation.

Mendoza, who is also the TUCP Partylist representative and Deputy House Speaker, said most of the workers are poor because their wages are not enough to meet their basic needs and of their families as they are gravely disappointed by the fact that the wage boards have been studying the minimum wage amid skyrocketing prices of commodities for far too long already.

“We are scandalized by the lack of sense of urgency in responding to the woes of the workers,” he said.

Dennis Derige, spokesperson of Partido Manggagawa-Cebu, said that this is a welcome development any proposal that would benefit the workers especially on the issue of increasing their wages.

Cebu Labor Coalition spokesperson Metudio Belarmino said it’s high time to legislate a wage hike and abolish the regional wage board.

Metudio said that although it’s a good move to legislate wage hike, this proposal will not pass at the Senate unless Republic Act 6727 or an Act Creating the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board is repealed.

“Dili ba mopasar iyang proposal sa Senate unless i abolished na ang wage board nga maoy modesisyon pila ang ihatag nga increase sa mamumuo,” said Belarmino.

Derige echoed the same sentiments contending it was during the time of former President Corazon Aquino that wages are legislated but this was abolished when RA 6727 was passed into law in 1989.

“Mas maayo ma legislated ang wage. Kung mopasar ni ang bill ni Zuburi, this is historic,” Derige added.

PM-Cebu, together with 10 other labor organizations in Cebu, had filed a P100 per day across the board wage hike last March 3, 2023.

The CLC, together with seven other labor groups, filed a P292.50 among private workers and P1,000 monthly for domestic helpers or kasambahay in Central Visayas last February 14, 2023.

Philip Tan, one of the two business representatives to the wage board said that all wage hike petitions are still undergoing review and needed to validate all data presented by different government agencies. — GMR (FREEMAN)