Many Metro firms can’t pay salary increases

More workers in Metro Manila may not get any economic relief this year as the number of firms seeking exemptions from paying mandated financial benefits to employees continues to climb.

The total number of commercial establishments that have formally sought exemptions from providing their workers P30 a day as emergency cost of living allowance has reached 159 and is expected to rise further.

Officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-National Capital Regional (NCR), however, declined to comment whether those seeking exemptions include big commercial firms.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) earlier projected an increase in the number of companies that would apply for exemptions in giving out emergency cost-of-living allowances (ECOLA) due to the prevailing economic crisis.

Commercial firms in Metro Manila are allowed until Feb. 22 to submit their application for exemption to the NWPC.

Last year, a total of 852 companies in Metro Manila sought exemptions from giving salary adjustments. Of the figure, 542 companies employing about 44,000 workers were granted exemptions.

Due to the employers’ refusal to pay the mandated wage increase, more workers in the region are expected to mount work stoppages that may eventually lead to more displacement of workers.

But Acting Labor Secretary Manuel Imson expressed optimism that government would be able to stop the strikes.

Imson added that the DOLE-National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB’s) results will even exceed last year’s 60 percent drop in the number of actual strikes. — Mayen Jaymalin