Duterte urged to stand up for workers

Labor groups on Friday appealed to President Duterte to stand up for workers in the wake of reports that a measly P25 daily salary increase has been approved for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (REY BANIQUET/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

Instead of the paltry adjustment, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) urged President Duterte to use his presidential powers by raising daily wage hike to at least P100 a day.

Labor groups had earlier called for a P335 daily minimum wage increase for private workers in Metro Manila to help them cope with rising inflation rate. Employers, however, reportedly opposed the huge wage adjustment proposal, warning that it might hit businesses and scare away investors.

“In behalf of all poorly paid four million Metro Manila minimum wage workers and their families in Metro Manila who are suffering due to expensive cost of living brought about by the astonishing inflation in the past 10 months, we are appealing to President Duterte’s kind-hearted ‘malasakit’ to please spare a portion of your presidential powers in favor of the working class by raising the ‘unofficial’ and measly P25 daily wage increase to at least P100 a day,” ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said in a statement.

Should the President authorize a P100 daily wage increase, the current daily minimum wage of P512 will increase to P612 a day, Tanjusay said. This would enable workers and their families to at least temporarily tide things over and get by through the hardship brought about by the rising inflation.

“Mr. President, workers and their families have been longing to taste the fruits of your ‘TunaynaPagbabago’ (genuine change) for all Filipinos. Now is the time to make businesses’s profits and the country’s economic wealth truly trickle down to troubled workers who also help build the country’s economy and businesses to thrive but are left behind by flawed policies and greedy businessmen,” he said.

“Mr. President, you have demonstrated in several instances your proven political will as shown in many instances whereby you intervened and took matters into your hands and make policies right and institutions work for the interest of the Filipino people. This time, at the most period of your presidency, we urge you to stand up for workers and their families and don’t let us down at a time when we needed you the most,” Tanjusay added.

The decision of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region on the salary increase for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will be known next week.
The Department of Labor and Employment said the decision of the wage board will be announced in a press briefing Monday, November 5.

On Thursday, Malacañang assured that the interests of the labor sector and employers would be taken into consideration in any decision on the petition seeking to increase minimum wage hike in Metro Manila.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo gave the assurance while dismissing as unofficial the reported P25 wage hike.

“As of October 31, the reported P25 wage hike for minimum wage workers has yet to be approved by the National Wage and Productivity Commission (NWPC). Therefore, the figure being disseminated is not official,” Panelo said.

“The Palace assures everyone that the interests and well-being of both sides – management and labor – as well as the overall impact to our domestic economy, would be considered by the government in attending to this matter,” Panelo added.

Reports had earlier circulated that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region has approved the P25 minimum wage hike for private workers in Metro Manila.

Labor groups slammed the small amount reportedly approved by the wage board. By Leslie Ann Aquino (With a report from Genalyn D. Kabiling)