ORGANIZED labor has again urged Malacañang and Congress to act on its demand for a P200 legislated daily wage increase amid spiraling prices of basic commodities and services.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Monday cited the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which showed that 20.1 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger, and the OCTA Research poll, which found that for the first time since 2022, raising wages has overtaken price control and even the anti-corruption drive as the top national concern.
The legislated wage hike measure was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate during the 19th Congress, but strong opposition from employer groups and government economic managers derailed its enactment into law.
“Mr. President, we challenge your economic managers and the employer groups to face workers in a genuine tripartite conference and, once and for all, define what a living wage truly is and how much it actually costs so we can finally lay down a clear, time-bound roadmap of substantial wage increases toward living wages,” the group said in a statement.
“A living wage is not just a wish or a dream. It is a promise and responsibility of the government entrusted by the people. Mr. President, choose to listen to the hungry workers rather than remain captive to economic managers who serve as defenders of the luxuries of business against the hunger of the people. This is a matter of conscience and we hope they still have it,” it said.
TUCP said the people themselves were calling for a wage increase and there is no excuse for not certifying the proposed P200 legislated wage hike as urgent.
“A significant wage increase should be the most concrete legacy of the Marcos Administration that fulfills the President’s own promise that ‘no worker should be left behind as we rapidly industrialize’ because it is clear that at present, Filipino workers are being left behind,” it said.
The group reiterated its call to the president to certify as urgent the proposed P200 legislated daily minimum wage rise, which was refiled during the 20th Congress.
“Amid the continued price increases and blatant theft from the government, the cry of the people is clear: certify the legislated wage hike as urgent and hold a marathon hearing in Congress because what we should all be working on now is getting the wage increase enacted,” it said.
There are more than 20 wage hike proposals pending in the Senate and the House.
The OCTA poll showed overwhelming nationwide support for a wage hike in the National Capital Region (41 percent), Balance Luzon (47 percent), Visayas (47 percent), and Mindanao (42 percent).