The Alliance of Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines slammed the Metro Manila wage board’s decision to grant a P20 per day increase to minimum wage workers in the National Capital Region, saying the “paltry” adjustment would not help them in the face of rising inflation.
“With the kind of extraordinary inflation that we have, it’s demeaning. It’s insensitive. If the wage board will officially announce a P20 wage hike adjustment, the workers will be very angry rather than be happy,” said Alan Tanjusay, ALU-TUCP spokesman.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had announced the wage board decision earlier this week, which was much lower than the P320 wage hike the ALU-TUCP sought in July.
Tanjusay said the wage board was becoming irrelevant and obsolete.
“This is not the real change that the President had promised. This is not the pagbabago that you and I and this administration aspire. Definitely not,” he said.
Tanjusay said the wage boards in Western Visayas and Davao region have increased the daily wage rates at P40 and P56 respectively to enable workers in the region to cope with rising inflation.