THE Federation of Free Workers (FFW) yesterday scored the meager amounts approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) in Calabarzon and Central Visayas.
In a statement, the FFW said workers are dissatisfied with the P21 to P75 per day increase in Calabarzon and P33 to P43 per day hike in Central Visayas.
“Ordinary workers are not happy and are expressing dissatisfaction with the recent regional wage hikes,” the FFW said.
“Despite these adjustments, many workers feel the hikes are insufficient and only deepen existing inequalities,” it added.
What makes the situation more unacceptable, the labor group said, is the adoption of different categories depending on the area classification and job types.
The FFW said such wage categories only worsen the effects of having layers of inequality among minimum wage earners.
“The introduction of varied wage categories and staggered increases has created confusion and frustration. This system has gone from bad to worse,” it said.
“The wage disparity between workers in the city and those in the provinces is growing wider and wider, just like the gap between wages in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors,” added the FFW.
Under the wage order for Calabarzon, the daily minimum wages are set at P450-P560 for the non-agriculture sector; P425-P500 for the agriculture sector; and P425 for retail and service establishments employing not more than 10 workers.
As for the wage order for Central Visayas, the daily minimum wage rates are P501 for Class A areas; P463 for Class B areas; and P453 for Class C areas.
