A PHILIPPINE senator on Wednesday filed a bill for a P250 across-the-board pay increase for private sector workers, in a push to revive the wage hike lobby that failed in the previous Congress.
The pay hike could “bridge the gap in the decreasing purchase value of the take-home pay of workers and the rising cost of living,” Senator Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito said in the explanatory note of Senate Bill No. 6.
He said a P50 hike approved for workers in Metro Manila for July is commendable but falls short of most Filipinos’ financial needs.
His proposed pay hike will also cover contractual or subcontractual workers, and workers in agricultural and nonagricultural fields.
The measure imposes a penalty of up to P100,000 or imprisonment on company executives that violate it.
“Across the Philippines, the daily minimum wage of workers falls short of their financial needs,” Mr. Ejercito said. “It cannot cover their expenses for rent, electricity, transportation, healthcare, education for their children and perhaps, most importantly, food.”
He also said war in the Middle East has led to rising oil prices, causing a “domino effect” on the prices of basic goods.
“Consequently, the take-home pay of a worker becomes smaller and its purchasing value less,” he said. “When the purchase value of a salary decreases, this would mean that workers are being asked to do more than what they are being paid for.”
On Monday, several other senators filed separate bills seeking a wage increase for private sector workers.
Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel’s bill seeks a P200 wage hike, similar to the version approved by the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress.
Senator Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla sought a P150 pay hike, while Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go proposed a P100 across-the-board pay rise, similar to the Senate’s version.
Last month, several labor groups called on Congress to pass a legislated wage increase for all workers in the country.
Lawmakers adjourned last month without meeting to reconcile disagreeing provisions of their bills at a bicameral conference committee after economic managers warned that the measure would have “dangerous repercussions” on the Philippine economy. — Adrian H. Halili