House panel to tackle bills seeking wage hike

MANILA – The chairperson of the House Committee on Labor and Employment is pushing for an increase in the wages of workers amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and rising prices of fuel products and other commodities.

In a statement on Friday, 1-PACMAN Party-list Rep. Enrico Pineda said his panel will be discussing the possibility of wage increases and continuing its deliberations over measures seeking to institutionalize a national minimum wage for private sector workers by next week.

“It’s high time we raise the minimum wage, considering the rising costs of goods and the effects of the pandemic,” Pineda said.

House Bill (HB) Nos. 246, 276, 541, 668, 2878, 6668, 6752, which all propose to amend the Labor Code of the Philippines to institutionalize a national minimum wage for private sector workers, will be part of the meeting’s agenda on March 17.

He said the prices of basic goods and services continue to increase even during the pandemic and unabated oil price hikes, while the wage rates remain unchanged.

“The effect of the rising gas prices is that everything also goes up. Further, additional expenses are now necessary due to the pandemic. People need to buy masks, vitamins, disinfecting materials, and spend on testing. How do we expect our workers to keep up without any increase in their salaries?” Pineda said.

He said the measures were initially discussed by the Committee on Labor and Employment last February 2020, before the onset of the pandemic in the Philippines and the implementation of community quarantines.

He, however, noted that no agreement was reached because several issues still need further discussion.

“We will open deliberations once again also so that we can have some discussions on the feasibility of raising minimum wage through the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC). All stakeholders will be invited so that they may be able to participate and air out their concerns. Our aim always is to strike a balance between labor and management, while also putting importance on the welfare of workers,” Pineda said.

On Wednesday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he has ordered all wage boards across the country to look into the need to increase the salaries of workers amid soaring oil prices.

Bello said the fuel price hikes which have been worsened by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine may be a compelling ground for the wage boards to recommend adjustments in the minimum wages of workers.