Labor groups press SC to rule on P85 wage hike

Labor groups on Monday, 21 September, asked the Supreme Court (SC) to rule on petitions seeking the implementation of the P85 daily wage increase in Metro Manila.

“Hindi nag-aadjourn ang gutom. Hindi tumatanggap ng ‘pending pa’ ang tindahan. Pakinggan ang manggagawa, aksiyonan ang petisyon, at palayain ang sahod,” stated NAGKAKAISA!, a coalition of labor organizations.

(Hunger does not adjourn. Stores do not accept ‘still pending’. Hear all the workers, take action on the petitions, and release the wages.)

Two of the coalition’s members, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and Partido Manggagawa (PM), are among the petitioners who asked the SC to set aside the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) order that stopped the implementation of the wage increase under Wage Order No. NCR-27 issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR).

The RTC acted on the pleadings of construction firms Readycon Trading and R-II Builders, which sought to stop the wage increase.

NAGKAKAISA! reminded the SC that it has already been 10 days since Readycon Trading and R-II Builders submitted their respective comments on the petitions as required by the high court.

The coalition made the call as the P85 wage increase was supposed to have been implemented on 21 September.

“Ang minimum wage ay minimum na nga, nakabinbin pa. Parang nakadetine ang Wage Order NCR-27: ang dagdag-sahod, hindi makalabas; ang presyo ng bilihin, walang pumipigil,” the coalition stated.

(The minimum wage is already minimum as well as pending. The wage order is detained but the price increase of goods are not stopping.)

The coalition has maintained that Article 126 of the Labor Code bars courts from enjoining wage board proceedings.

It said Article 123 of the Labor Code provides that appeals should be made before the NWPC and not before the RTC.