MANILA – A “great injustice for workers” was how a labor group described Tuesday the P25 daily minimum wage increase approved by the wage board for the National Capital Region. The group said an intervention by President Rodrigo Duterte may address this.
“Meron pa naman isang pag-asa pa sa isyu ng suweldo, at iyan ay kung mag-intervene ang Pangulong Duterte at pakialaman iyong sahod at baka puwede siya mag-order na dagdagan iyong sweldo,” said Alan Tanjusay of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress (ALU-TUCP).
An intervention may improve Duterte’s “political capital status” and help administration candidates in next year’s elections, Tanjusay told cable television newscast Dobol B sa News TV.
Criticizing the P25 increase as too measly, Tanjusay called for a “scientific” computation of wages, saying such approach on determining increases will be more attuned to the times than the old system of voting used by the wage board.
“Dapat evidence-based na tayo ngayon. Iyan ang hamon namin sa wage board. Magbago na kayo, luma na iyan, 1989 pa iyan, baguhin na natin ang computation,” he said.
“Uso na ngayon ang data analytics. Baka puwede nating subukan na scientific naman ang pag-determine ng sahod, hindi lamang botohan,” Tanjusay added.
Tanjusay said they may opt to file an appeal against the approved P25 increase but he was not too optimistic about it.
But the ALU-TUCP will file a new wage hike petition based on “existing supervening condition,” he said, referring to the current inflation rate.
“Sa tingin po namin meron tayong existing na supervening condition at kinakailangan talagang mai-angat pa iyong kasalukuyang P25. Kailangan madagdagan pa iyong sahod,” Tanjusay said. (GMA News)
