MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said a "piecemeal" labor reform is not enough to help workers earn more as she sought to improve the wage setting system.
She pressed for the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 210 or the Fair Wages and Productivity Bill as the Department of Labor and Employment announced a ₱85 minimum wage hike for workers in the National Capital Region (NCR).
"We need to upgrade our policies to raise the living standard of workers," Hontiveros said in a statement.
She also raised the need to ensure that local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will "further thrive, and productivity is increased in our most critical industries - especially for those outside the NCR."
She said SB 210 mandates "a fair catch-up of wages for workers in the larger better-capitalized businesses and a new support system dedicated to promoting growth and innovation for MSMEs."
"In the interim, many of these small firms will still need the usual exemptions from immediate compliance with the mandated wages," Hontiveros said.
"It is important that there be no more red tape for the registration, tax exemptions and also the minimum wage exemption process for these fledgling enterprises," she said.
The bill also "rebalances" the voting structure in wage boards by making the DoLE the sole voting representative of national agencies, and by including two governors per region as voting members, she added.
