Stiffer penalties vs wage violators backed

MANILA, Philippines — Employers refusing to comply with the minimum wage hike of P50 in Metro Manila should face stiffer penalties, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.

The DOLE is backing Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s bill that would impose fines of over P100,000, moral damages of up to P30,000 for each affected worker and penalty of up to four years in prison against violators of the mandated salary increase.

Failure to comply with the new wage rates will be met with fines of up to P25,000 and penalty of up to two years in prison, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said.

As for the proposed measure criminalizing adults for failing to financially support their elderly parents, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) has pointed out that most young workers today are struggling to support their own families.

“Millions of them are in contractual and precarious work with no security of tenure. Instead of penalizing them with prison time, the government should be focused on building a reliable and inclusive social protection system,” FFW president Sonny Matula said.