Metro workers to get P22 wage hike

MANILA, Philippines – The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) announced yesterday that workers in Metro Manila are finally getting a P22 increase in their daily take-home pay after two years of waiting for adjustments.

NWPC executive director Ciriaco Lagunzad III said the wage board in Metro Manila came out with a new order granting a P22 increase in the daily minimum wage of workers after a series of deliberations.

Sources from the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) said the increase brings to P404 the daily minimum wage rate in Metro Manila.

“The adjustment will be added to the daily basic pay, but it will only cover minimum wage earners in private companies in Metro Manila,” one of the sources said.

The increase will take effect 15 days after the publication of the new wage order in national dailies or probably before the end of the month.

Labor groups led by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) had filed a formal petition seeking a P75 across-the-board increase in wages.

While welcoming the latest wage increase, TUCP expressed disappointment over the minimal salary hike.

“TUCP is disappointed at how little the wage board thinks the workers deserve, so although we do not want any delay in the implementation, we will be filing a motion for reconsideration of the decision,” said TUCP official Raffy Mapalo.

Mapalo said workers are doubly disappointed because the wage increase is not across-the-board. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)