Union urges Duterte to set wage hike terms

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THE Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) is urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to declare a nationwide across-the-board wage hike.
In a statement released on Sunday, ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan A. Tanjusay said that the President “can text or call the wage board and tell them the amount of wage increase he desires and it will be done.”

According to Mr. Tanjusay, the President can issue “an executive order mandating a wage increase amount needed by workers and their families to cope and service with the increasing prices of goods and service.”

Sought for comment, Regional Tripartite Wage Productivity Board (RTWPB) Secretary Kim S. Lagcao said that there is no schedule for deliberations yet. He also added that he is awaiting instructions from the board.

Employers Confederation of the Philippines President (ECOP) Donald G. Dee, on the other hand, said that ECOP is still studying various options.

“We will bring forward our proposal in the meeting of the wage board,” he said in a text message.

According to TUCP vice-president and representative of the labor groups to the RTWPB deliberations, Angelita D. Señorin, the labor groups and the employers’ confederation are set to submit their position papers on Monday, Aug. 7. It is only after all the position papers are submitted will the wage board decide on the matter.

The statement released by Mr. Tanjusay noted that ALU-TUCP submitted its position paper on Friday, petitioning for an “across-the-board P184 daily wage increase... for workers in the cities and municipalities of the National Capital Region on top of the existing legislated P491 daily minimum wage.”

The RTWPB is currently deliberating on the wage increase petition of three labor groups: TUCP, ALU, and Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates, an affiliate of the Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization.

The RTWPB has conducted a series of public hearings focusing on the labor groups’ and the employers’ concerns. After submission of the position papers, the wage board has 45 days to deliberate and come up with a decision. According to Ms. Señorin, this is more likely to come in September. -- Mario M. Banzon

Hike workers’ pay, Malacañang urged

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Organized labor has reiterated its call on President Rodrigo Duterte to increase the minimum wage nationwide, citing falling purchasing power of the daily pay and rising cost of living.

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) issued the appeal even as the Regional Tripatite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (Metro Manila) deliberates this week on a final new wage increase for minimum wage workers in the region.

The ALU-TUCP earlier filed an across-the-board P184 daily wage hike for minimum wage workers in Metro Manila.

“President Duterte can text or call the wage board and prod them the amount of wage increase that he desires and it will be done. The President can also issue a presidential executive order mandating a wage increase needed by workers and their families to cope with and survive the increasing prices of goods and services. The President has a variety of options to make a significant wage hike,” ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said over the weekend.

He added that the workers had been desperate for a significant across-the-board wage increase for many years but the wage board has always been granting meager wage increases despite an improving economy.

“The last time the workers experienced a significant wage hike was in 1989 or 28 years ago when then-President Corazon Aquino gave a P25 daily across-the-board wage increase nationwide. After that, the wage board has been issuing a pittance… as if the workers are beggars,” Tanjusay said.

The ALU-TUCP said workers’ minimum wage should be P675 a day, not the current P491 for workers in the NCR, adding that the real value of P491 has eroded to P375.

The wage board last year issued Wage Order (WO) NCR-20 effective June 2, 2016 granting P10 as daily COLA (cost of living allowance).

On September 6, 2013 it granted a P10 daily increase in basic wage effective October 4, 2013 and the integration of the P15 of the P30 COLA under WO NCR-17 effective January 1, 2014.

WO NCR-19 on March 16, 2015 granted a P15 daily increase in the existing basic wage effective April 4, 2015.

These increases, according to the ALU-TUCP, have been overtaken by increases in electricity and water rates, health and education costs and prices of oil including liquefied petroleum gas and basic goods and services.

Despite the gains in the economy and productivity, workers and their families have not been granted a single peso in real wage increase since 1989, it said.

According to government official figures, as of April 2017, the purchasing power of the legislated P491 daily minimum wage in NCR is only P357.09, eroded by 27.3 percent. - BY WILLIAM DEPASUPIL, TMT

Labor group urges Duterte to hike NCR wages to P675 per day

President Rodrigo Duterte should declare a nationwide, across-the-board wage hike of at least P184 per day to keep workers afloat amid falling purchasing power and rising cost of living, noting that the last significant pay hike was in 1989 or 28 years ago.

In a statement on Sunday, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said that the suggested P184-per-day hike is on top of the existing legislated P491 daily minimum wage in the national capital region (NCR), or a total of P675 .

ALU-TUCP made the call ahead of the Metro Manila wage board meeting to deliberate on possible wage increase.

Also, it said that the chief executive has a lot of options to effect a just minimum wage hike.

"President Duterte can text or call the wage board and prod them the amount of wage increase that he desires and it will be done," the group said.

He can also also "issue a presidential executive order mandating a wage increase amount needed by workers and their families to cope with and survive amid increasing prices of goods and services," the group added.

In a position paper submitted last Friday in light of its petition for an across-the-board wage increase, the group proposes a P184 daily wage hike.

ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said: "The last time the workers experienced a significant wage hike was in 1989 or 28 years ago when the late President Cory Aquino gave a P25 daily across-the-board wage increase nationwide. After which, the wage board has been issuing pittance wage orders as if workers are beggars."

Tanjusay argued that workers' wage should be at P675 a day in NCR, instead of the current P491, which at present has a real value of P375.

The Board last year issued Wage Order No. NCR-20 effective June 2, 2016, granting a P10 cost of living allowance (COLA) per day.

In September 2013, the board granted a P10-per-day increase in basic wage effective October 2013 and the integration of the P15 of the P30 COLA under Wage Order Number NCR-17 effective 1 January 2014; WO No. NCR - 19 on 16 March 2015 granted P15 in daily increase in the existing basic wage effective April 2015.

But Tanjusay said that the series of meager increases is a pittance amid the rising costs of electricity, water, fuel, basic goods; health, education, and other services.

According to official government figures, as of April 2017, the purchasing power of the legislated P491 daily minimum wage in NCR is only P357.09, eroded by 27.3%. —LBG, GMA News

Labor group reiterates call to Duterte for across-the-board wage hike

BIG labor has reiterated its call to President Rodrigo Duterte for a nationwide across-the-board increase for minimum wage earners amid the falling purchasing power and rising cost of living.

Labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) issued the appeal ahead of the Regional Tripatite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region meeting this week to deliberate on a final new increase for minimum wage workers in Metro Manila.

The ALU-TUCP had filed an across-the-board P184 daily increase for minimum wage workers in Metro Manila.

"President Duterte can text or call the wage board and prod them the amount of wage increase that he desires and it will be done. The President can also issue a presidential executive order mandating a wage increase (based on the) amount needed by workers and their families to cope and survive with the increasing prices of goods and service. The President has the variety of options to make a significant wage hike," said ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

Tanjusay said the workers had been desperate for a significant across-the-board increase for many years because the wage board has always been granting meager and pittance increases despite an improving economy.

"The last time the workers experienced a significant wage hike was in 1989 or 28 years ago when the late President Cory Aquino gave a P25 daily across-the-board wage increase nationwide. After which, the wage board has been issuing pittance wage orders as if workers are beggars," Tanjusay said. - WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL