SC action urged on stalled P85 wage hike

A coalition of labor organizations petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday to rule on pending petitions seeking the immediate implementation of a P85 daily minimum wage increase in Metro Manila.

The coalition Nagkaisa urged the high court to resolve the legal impasse blocking Wage Order No. NCR-27, which was originally scheduled to take effect Monday after being issued by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region.

Implementation was halted after a Pasig City Regional Trial Court issued an injunction favoring construction firms which challenged the wage mandate.

Labor groups, including the Federation of Free Workers and Partido Manggagawa, petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court's restraining order.

"Hunger does not adjourn. Stores do not accept 'still pending,'" Nagkaisa said in a statement.

"Listen to the workers, act on the petition, and release the wages. The minimum wage is already bare minimum, yet it remains pending. Wage Order NCR-27 is effectively detained — wage increases cannot get out, while commodity prices remain unchecked," it added.

Nagkaisa pointed out that 10 days have passed since the respondent construction companies submitted their court-ordered comments to the high court.

The coalition argued that Article 126 of the Labor Code prohibits courts from issuing injunctions against wage board proceedings.

It added that Article 123 specifies that appeals regarding wage decisions fall under the jurisdiction of the National Wages and Productivity Commission, not trial courts.