By CESAR JOLITO III
As Metro Manila prepares to implement a new minimum wage hike this July, a local labor group is urging the wage board to take swift action to help workers cope with the rising cost of living.
The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) is calling on the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Western Visayas (RTWPB-6) to grant an Emergency Relief Allowance (ERA) of at least P50 per day, with a proposed increase of up to P95 to P100.
GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho said the move is urgently needed, especially after the failure of Congress to pass a legislated P200 wage hike, citing worsening inflation, surging fuel prices and the continued erosion of purchasing power.
“With the unprecedented increase in the prices of petroleum products, prices of basic necessities, goods and services have skyrocketed. The workers and their families have been struggling to budget their salaries to keep them going,” Sancho said in a statement on Monday, June 30.
Sacho emphasized that the proposed P50 increase should be the minimum amount of relief, integrated into workers’ basic pay.
“It is imperative that an increase of P50 shall be granted as early as possible as a manifestation of concern and recognition to the workers as the ‘primary socio-economic force’ whose toiling hands create the wealth of the nation,” Sancho said.
“This is an immediate economic relief. The current minimum wage in the region — ranging from P450 to P500 — is already inadequate,” he added.
GAWA estimates that over 193,000 minimum wage earners in Western Visayas will directly benefit from the wage hike or ERA, while more than 300,000 workers earning slightly above the minimum will also feel its positive effects.
Sancho noted that the real value of the peso has dropped to just P0.81, resulting in a daily purchasing power loss of nearly P97 per worker.
“The minimum wage today only translates to P415.53 in real terms,” he pointed out.
He said that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly between Iran and Israel, could impact overseas remittances and drive fuel prices higher, worsening the financial pressure on local households.
GAWA argues that these economic disruptions constitute “supervening conditions” that justify the issuance of a new wage order even without a formal petition, and within the one-year restriction typically imposed on wage reviews.
He encouraged the RTWPB-6 to conduct a “motu proprio” review of the current wage structure and swiftly issue a new wage order to restore the dignity and economic stability of the working class.
Workers in Metro Manila are set to benefit from the P50 minimum wage hike, raising the daily rate to P695 for non-agricultural workers, and P658 for those in the small retail, agricultural and manufacturing sectors effective July 18.
The new wage hike in National Capital Region is equivalent to an increase of P1,100 per month for a five-day workweek, and P1,300 for a six-day workweek, the National Wages and Productivity Commission said.
Under the new rate, non-agricultural workers will have a monthly take-home pay ranging from P15,247 to P18,216, inclusive of mandatory social welfare benefits. / With reports from GMA Integrated News / CJ, WDJ