The P30 (US$0.53) salary hike for minimum wage labourers in the Philippines’ Western Visayas administrative region has sparked outrage among labour and business groups in Negros Occidental, according to the Manila Times.
According to Wennie Sancho, Secretary-General of the General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA), the P30 rise is inadequate. Instead, the rise should be P50 (US $0.88) as it is closer to P55 (US $0.97). He went on to say that P30 will not assist people cope with the present high prices of basic goods and services.
Sancho, on the other hand, stated that they will not submit an opposition to the wage order since the process would be too costly for the management sector.
Meanwhile, Frank Carbon, Chief Executive Officer of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), stated, “The wage-setting law is flawed because it does not account for business sales and productivity.” It should account for the corresponding gain in sales caused by worker productivity.”
He added that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-6, which approved the wage increase, has failed to investigate business productivity. This is where many business owners are unable to afford the increase due to losses due to the pandemic and price surge for basic goods and commodities. The new pay increase, which grants a P30 increase across all sectors in Western Visayas, raises the minimum daily wage to P480 (US $8.45) for employees in non-agriculture establishments with more than ten employees, P450 (US$7.92) for employees in non-agriculture establishments with ten or fewer employees, and P440 (US$7.74) for employees in agriculture. Salary Order RB VI-DW-05 has also been authorised by the organisation, which sees a monthly raise of P500 (US$8.80) for domestic work workers, increasing the monthly salary rate to P5,000 (US $87.99). All of the raises will go into effect on November 16 of this year.
