PROMPTED by the recent push for a legislated P100 daily minimum wage increase, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA) yesterday renewed its call for the return of the national minimum wage rate.
In a statement, NAGKAISA said having a national minimum wage is necessary since the needs of Filipino workers in different regions are almost identical.
“The stomachs of families in the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Bangsamoro are not different from each other,” said NAGKAISA.
“Having a standardized wage increase across the country will hopefully pave the way for the potential establishment of a singular national minimum wage in the coming days,” it added.
The labor group said the establishment of Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs), through the Wage Rationalization Act, has proven to be ineffective in alleviating the lives of workers and their families.
Worse, it said the regional minimum wage rate system has “unintentionally” created significant disparities and discrimination among workers from different areas.
“It replaced a uniform national minimum wage with that of a complex regional wage system characterized by a plethora of wage levels,” said the group.
In effect, NAGKAISA said such a discrepancy between minimum wage rates has led to the continued migration of workers from rural to urban areas.
It noted that the existing wage system has driven mass migration towards Metro Manila with workers in search of higher wages.
“This migration has contributed to the overburdening of the national capital with traffic congestion, overpopulation, and strained resources,” the group said.
The Philippines last had a national minimum wage rate in 1989.
The passage of the Wage Rationalization Act led to the establishment of RTWPBs, which are mandated to set minimum wage rates in their respective regions.
