DOLE orders general wage hike

MANILA, Philippines - Workers across the country can look forward to a salary increase before the end of the year.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello has ordered the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards to start discussions for the grant of a general wage increase, Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod said yesterday.

Maglunsod said the wage boards were tasked to start the process for the grant of an across-the-board wage increase even without a formal petition from workers.

“The order is intended to give workers from private commercial establishments economic relief by granting a general wage increase,” he said.

“There is a specific amount and the board will just decide if they will grant higher or lower than the rate provided,” he added.

Maglunsod declined to reveal the amount, saying Bello would make an announcement today regarding the order.

President Duterte ordered the DOLE to look into the pay scale of workers amid reports that many are underpaid.

Maglunsod said the President wants the salary of workers in the provinces to be at par with those in Metro Manila. Employers have pointed out that the cost of living is higher in the capital.

Workers nationwide are in dire need of immediate financial relief, Maglunsod said.

He said the general wage hike is only a short-term solution, noting that the DOLE would still push for a national minimum wage.