Labor groups: P85 wage hike must not derail salary increase bill

MANILA, Philippines — The wage hike in Metro Manila announced by Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino should not derail efforts in Congress to pass a bill mandating a nationwide increase, labor group representatives said on Tuesday.

Luke Espiritu, president of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, rejected the P85 minimum wage hike for Metro Manila workers, calling the increase an “insult” and a “slap” in the face as he pressed lawmakers to pass a legislated wage increase.

“This P85 increase of the regional wage board will be used by employers’ groups to advocate that there should not be a legislated wage hike,” he told reporters at the House of Representatives in Filipino.

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“This is a clear excuse to frustrate the efforts of labor groups urging that salaries should be raised through legislation,” he added.

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READ: Dole: Metro Manila workers to get P85 wage hike

Minimum wages are set by regional wage boards, but slow and meager increases amid rising prices have spurred lawmakers to push for a salary increase legislated by Congress.

The House of Representatives committee on labor and employment held a hearing on Tuesday, during which it discussed several measures proposing to raise wages between P200 and P1,200.

“So that is why Secretary Tolentino was not here in Congress, as he chose to trumpet the regional wage board,” Carlo Onate, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines spokesman, told reporters in Filipino. “The workers were made fools.”

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Tolentino announced the wage hike, set to benefit around 1.1 million Metro Manila workers, at an event in Malabon Central Market.

“This is not surprising, but it is infuriating,” Onate said. “We should pressure our lawmakers to pass a legislated wage increase as it’s clear that the fight now is in Congress.” /das

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