COINCIDING with the holding of the public hearing by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) – National Capital Region (NCR), the National Wage Coalition yesterday challenged the NCR wage board to raise the workers’ pay by at least P150.
In a statement, the National Wage Coalition said it is imperative for the NCR wage board to raise the minimum pay by a level similar to the proposed legislated wage hike to convince its critics that is capable of providing living wages for workers.
“The national spotlight is on the regional wage boards to give an increase of not less than P150 in a desperate attempt to remain relevant after 35 years of indifference,” said the National Wage Coalition.
“Raising workers’ wages by at least P150 is the first pivotal step towards the fundamental right to living wages of all Filipino workers and their families,” it added.
Otherwise, the labor sector stressed that the provision of meager wage hikes will only prove what they have been saying all along.
They said the provision of a small amount of wage increase will once again show that the regional wage-setting mechanism must be abolished.
“Another too little, too late token increase, which amounts to mere scraps, will be the final indictment on the long-overdue review, reform, and even abolition of the regional wage boards for committing a grave injustice to countless Filipino workers and their families by depriving them of the fruits of their labor for more than three decades already,” they said.
“What is clear to all is that current minimum wage rates are inadequate to bring nutritious food to their families’ table, to lift them from the vicious cycle of poverty, and to ensure their decent lives with dignity,” added the National Wage Coalition.
The labor sector has been pushing for the passage of the P150 legislated wage hike by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Parallel to it, the NCR wage board has started its wage review process in time for the July 16 anniversary of the last wage order in Metro Manila.
Yesterday, the NCR wage board held the public hearing on minimum wage adjustment at the Occupational Safety and Health Center in Quezon City.
Over 100 participants representing employers, workers, employer associations, and labor organizations participated in the public hearing.
