Pols, institute echo PBBM’s call for wage review

Pols, institute echo PBBM’s call for wage review | Daily Tribune

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday urged President Ferdinand Marcos. Jr. to support a proposed law increasing minimum wage by P100 as he and fellow lawmakers agree to a regular review of workers’ pay.

“I am one with our President in calling for the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards to do a regular review of our minimum wages and for the National Wages and Productivity Commission to ensure that the boards do so,” he said.

The Senate President also appealed to Marcos to consider and immediately green-light the Senate Bill 2534, which was approved on third and final reading in the Senate in February, and is now pending in the House of Representatives.

“It will be a massive step toward giving our hardworking laborers the living wages that they deserve. Perhaps it can even be certified as urgent, given the continued spike in the prices of goods owing to inflation,” he said, referring to the P100 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Act.

“Our inflation rates are continuing to trend upward, at a rate that the wage boards have not yet been able to keep up with,” he added.

In March, the Philippines logged a 3.7 percent increase in inflation, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas projecting an inflation rate between 3.5 to 4.3 percent for April.

“So our workers, despite making massive contributions to our industries, are still dealing with wages that are not enough to cover their needs,” he further stressed.

Fellow Senator Jinggoy Estrada called the president’s call “a proactive approach towards ensuring fair compensation for our workers, especially in light of the rising cost of goods and basic necessities.”

“As a labor advocate, I believe this is a crucial step in supporting our workforce and ensuring that they receive the compensation they deserve,” Estrada said.

Navotas Representative Toby M. Tiangco said, “President Bongbong’s call for a wage review, with due consideration to the impact of inflation and other relevant factors, is not merely a matter of policy but a moral imperative. Let us stand united in our resolve to uphold the dignity and well-being of every Filipino worker.”

Meanwhile, the head of the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD) said that Marcos’ order for a minimum wage review only echoes the meager wage increases workers have endured for decades.

“The track record of these wage boards speaks volumes about the insignificance of the wage adjustments they’ve approved over time,” IOHSAD executive director Nadia de Leon said.

According to the IBON Foundation, despite some 370 wage orders across the country’s 17 regions since 1989 when wage-setting became regionalized, these adjustments have failed to keep pace with inflation, averaging a mere 1.2 percent nominal increase.

As of March 2024, the average minimum wage across all regions stands at a meager P440, barely surpassing one-third (36 percent) of the average family living wage for a family of five, totaling P1,207.

This stark wage-to-cost-of-living disparity underscores the urgent need to address workers’ demands for living wages, the group underscored.