MANILA — Organized labor took the PHP18 to PHP23 daily wage increase figure being floated in some circles as a virtual slap in the face of millions of Filipino workers now struggling to make ends meet following an inflation surge triggered by a confluence of global and domestic factors.
The usually moderate Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) stated that only the PHP800 daily across-the-board nationwide wage hike that they have petitioned could restore workers’ purchasing power after being severely eroded by inflation. The group’s position is that an average family of five members needs at least PHP1,200 a day to live decently.
ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay pointed to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo and former Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) president Edgardo Lacson as the persons floating what his union considers ridiculously low wage adjustment figures.
“First of all, it is not up to government officials or businessmen to pre-empt the deliberation process of all 17 wage boards across the country,” Tanjusay told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.
“The wage board hearings have not even begun and it seems they already have a decision as to how much the wage hike should be. This is not fair to the poor workers who conform with the peaceful and legal process of wage setting. Furthermore, if these measly amounts are all that wage boards can give, instead of being glad, workers might end up disgusted at both government and employers,” Tanjusay said in Filipino.
ALU-TUCP, touted as the country’s biggest labor organization, earlier this week lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for ordering all Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards across the country to immediately convene to consider the need for wage hikes in view of the rising prices of basic goods.
The union also threw its support for House of Representatives Bill No. 7787 or the National Minimum Wage Bill, which is seeking a PHP750 uniform across-the-board daily wage hike for workers nationwide. (PNA)
