Metro workers get wage hike

Private sector minimum wage workers in Metro Manila will get P12 more daily.

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said the regional wage board in the National Capital Region (NCR) approved the salary increase as well as the inclusion of the P50 emergency cost of living allowance or COLA in the daily basic pay. This pegs the daily minimum wage in Metro Manila at P362.

National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) executive director Esther Guirao said the pay hike would take effect only after the publication of the new wage order.

She declined to disclose other details of the wage order, which was approved after a series of deliberations among representatives of employers, workers and the government. The order covers only private sector minimum wage workers.

Militant labor groups expressed dismay over what they described as a “minuscule” salary increase.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said that the salary hike granted by the wage board was not enough to enable workers to cope with the rising prices of essential commodities.

Labor officials said the board, in setting the amount of wage increase, had to strike a balance between the capability of employers and the needs of workers.

Employers are strongly opposed to salary increase, saying it is unreasonable at this time, citing no significant changes in the consumer prices index.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is seeking a P75 across-the-board increase in daily basic pay for workers in Metro Manila and other regions.