THE labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) yesterday slammed National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan for being the “de facto” spokesperson of the employers’ sector regarding the issue of workers’ salaries.
In a statement, PM spokesman Rene Magtubo said the statements of Balisacan regarding the proposed P150 legislated wage hike mirror those being aired by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).
“He is moonlighting as employers’ spokesperson with his doomsday predictions about a P150 legislated wage hike if it is approved by Congress,” said Magtubo.
He noted that ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. had earlier warned of job losses, price hikes, and economic slowdown if wages are raised.
“Government’s economic managers and employers’ representatives are both painting the same apocalyptic scenarios without any substantiation,” he said.
PM issued the statement after Balisacan warned lawmakers that a P150 increase in the minimum wage would slow down the country’s economic growth and lead to higher unemployment and inflation.
This was in response to the proposal of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri for a P150 increase in wages for all private sector workers through legislation.
According to the labor sector, salary adjustment is highly necessary considering the soaring prices of basic commodities.
“The P150 legislated wage hike seeks mainly to recover the lost value of workers’ wages and not yet to partake of the increased labor productivity,” he said.
“Even P150 will not raise workers’ wages to the level of a living wage, which today stands at around P1,300 per day and increasing due to unabated inflation,” Magtubo added.
