DOLE urges employees in Metro Manila to report violations
Employees in Metro Manila were urged to report companies that do not comply with the P50 daily wage hike set to take effect on July 18, the National Wages and Productivity Commission said.
“Labor Secretary (Bienvenido) Laguesma has given instructions to regional and field offices in NCR to conduct labor inspections to ensure the compliance of establishments with the new minimum wage and other labor standards,” said Maria Criselda Sy, executive director of the NWPC.
She said companies employing 10 workers or less as well as establishments severely affected by typhoons or man-made disasters may apply for exemptions.
The NCR tripartite wage board recently approved a P50 daily minimum wage increase in Metro Manila, which will benefit about 1.2 million workers.
The new minimum wage in Metro Manila now stands at P695, up from P645.
As this developed, Cavite Rep. Jolo Revilla has refiled his bill seeking a P200 across-the-board daily wage increase for all private sector minimum wage earners.
At the opening of the 20th Congress, Revilla refiled House Bill 78, also known as the Wage Hike for Minimum Wage Workers Act, to push for long-overdue economic relief for the working class amid surging prices of goods and stagnant incomes.
The measure was first filed by Revilla during the 19th Congress and was later consolidated with similar proposals calling for a nationwide wage increase.
“Refiling this measure is a clear message that we are not giving up on the fight for wage justice. Our minimum wage earners deserve more than token increases. They deserve real support,” Revilla said.
“Our workers kept our economy alive during the hardest times—from the pandemic to the economic downturn. It’s time we repay their sacrifices with more than words…A livable wage is not a luxury—it is the foundation of a just society,” Revilla added.