The labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines on Thursday renewed its call to President Rodrigo Duterte to provide a 500-peso food subsidy to minimum wage workers following the 25-peso daily additional wage increase for Metro Manila workers.
The group said that additional amount could not even buy a kilo of the cheapest rice in the market.
The 25-peso increase took effect after it was posted in the official social media account of the National Wages and Productivity Commission on Nov. 22.
The wage adjustment increased the minimum daily salary of workers in the private sector to P537 from P512 in the non-agriculture sector.
Those working in sectors like agriculture, retail service or establishments employing 15 workers or less, as well as manufacturing establishments regularly employing less than 10 workers will also have a 25-peso increase in their daily wage.
This means their minimum wage of P445 will now be P500.
In a statement, the ALU-TUCP said the 25-peso wage increase took effect on Thursday but Metro Manila’s workers did not feel its impact given the high inflation rate.
“Workers are not excited with the increase in their daily pay because the equivalent buying power of P25 is only P17.50 per day these days. It has no impact in helping workers and their families get by,” ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.
He said given the small wage increase, the government should step in and fill the gap by giving a 500-peso monthly food subsidy to workers as a temporary measure to raise their eroding buying power.