Workers’ Labor Day wish: Legislated wage hike

MANILA, Philippines — It is still more than a month away, but the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) is already looking forward to President Marcos signing the proposed legislated wage hike as a Labor Day gift to workers in the country.

“Trade unions are aiming for a wage hike announcement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a workers’ gift on May 1, Labor Day,” FFW said in a statement.

The group urged the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of its wage hike proposal as a counterpart bill to the Senate’s approved P100 wage hike bill. The House committee on labor is set to vote on Wednesday for the wage hike proposal.

FFW is also objecting to the opposition of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) against a legislated wage hike, saying “pangkape lang ng mga manager yong P150 (That amount is just the cost of coffee for their managers).”

It added that the tourism industry is “well-positioned” to support an increase in workers’ wages.

“This economic upturn suggests a strong capacity within the sector to accommodate the proposed P150 wage hike, contrary to PHOA’s concerns,” FFW stressed.

“Some hotel managers already watched Taylor Swift in Singapore, maybe they could give their workers – regular, contractual, seasonal or agency supplied – what they pay for coffee,” the group also said.

Business groups have warned that a legislated wage hike can lead to downsizing, inflation and business shutdowns especially among micro and small enterprises that make up over 90 percent of businesses in the country.