LABOR GROUPS will be marching to the House of Representatives on Monday to urge lawmakers to act on the P200 wage hike bill before the 19th Congress closes this June.
In separate statements, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) announced they will be joining members of the National Wage Coalition to push the bill’s immediate passage within the last six session days.
“If the 19th Congress fails to pass it this June, the process will reset and start from step one under the 20th Congress,” FFW President Jose Sonny G. Matula said in a statement on Sunday.
The Coalition is composed of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition, and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.
Congress begins session on Monday after a four-month break for the midterm elections. It will adjourn sine die on June 12.
“With only six session days left this June, this is the moment of truth for the 19th Congress. We urge Speaker Martin Romualdez and our lawmakers: be the House of the People — pass the ₱200 wage hike now!” Mr. Matula said.
Last year, the Senate approved a bill for a P100 daily wage increase for all minimum wage earners in the private sector, regardless of region or industry.
On the other hand, the House of Representatives, in January, endorsed a consolidated bill proposing a P200 across-the-board daily wage increase for private sector workers.
“Non-passage would be a step backward, moving us further away from achieving a living wage — a right guaranteed by the Constitution but still unrealized nearly four decades since its ratification,” he added.
In his Labor Day address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. supported regional wage increases instead of a legislated wage hike, citing the potential impact of a uniform national wage on businesses, jobs, and the economy.
Under Republic Act No. 6727, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) are mandated to determine minimum wage rates in their region or provinces, subject to the guidelines issued by the National Wages and Productivity Commission.
However, the RTWPBs can only adjust minimum wage rates a year after the date of their previous order.
Labor groups have argued that a legislated wage hike is needed to help workers deal with rising costs. Wage hike bills have stalled in Congress.
“The economy has been growing for many years, but Filipino workers — especially in the provinces — have experienced negative growth in real wages. Except in Metro Manila, wages nationwide have fallen to below 30% of the purchasing power of the 1989 wage. Our workers are trapped in unexplained poverty, while the rich continue to get richer and richer,” Mr. Matula said.
He added that the government needs to narrow the gap by implementing an initial nationwide wage hike to achieve a living wage. — Adrian H. Halili
