Bicam panel told to approve wage hike bill

A PHILIPPINE Senator on Sunday called for a bicameral conference committee to approve the measure that will implement an across-the-board wage hike for workers in the private sector before Congress adjourns sine die this week.

“I hope we can pass this in a timely manner because the welfare of many Filipino workers depends on it,” Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go, a co-author of the Senate’s version, said in a statement in Filipino.

“If this is not prioritized, there is a possibility that our workers will feel as if their demands have been ignored,” Mr. Go added.

Last week, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading, House Bill 11376, which proposes a P200 across-the-board daily wage increase for private sector workers. This is higher than the P100 wage increase in the Senate version, approved in February last year.

The Senator said that a legislated wage hike has become “a matter of economic necessity,” amid increasing prices of goods.

“If before the only question was how much the salary was, now most people’s question is whether they will have anything to eat tomorrow,” he said. “That should not be a common question in a country rich in natural resources and hardworking citizens.”

Mr. Go had also assured small and medium businesses that they will be exempted from the wage hike citing existing laws.

“Small businesses are exempt, especially if they are really struggling. Let’s balance everyone’s interests. I hope millions of workers will be given an additional salary that will help with their food, transportation, and bills,” he added.

In a separate statement, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) asked the Senate to expedite the bicameral conference, ratification, and endorsement of for the signing of the bill.

“We are eager to work urgently with our Senate counterparts to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the wage hike bills — ₱200 and ₱100 respectively — and ratify the final version on the same day,” TUCP Party-list Representative and House Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza said, noting his openness to find a middle ground of P150.

“We fervently urge Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero and Senate Labor Committee, chaired by Sen. Joel Villanueva, to not deny the workers this much needed reprieve and to not succumb to the lazy economics of marketing the Philippines as a haven for cheap, unorganized labor to investors in ensuring their profitability instead of addressing the bigger business problems of high power costs, corruption, and ease of doing business.”

Several labor groups have previously called on the government to mandate an increase in the salaries of private sector workers to deal with the rising cost of living in the country. The government has not mandated a wage hike since the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989. 

Currently, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards are tasked to determine the minimum wage rates in a specific region or province. — Adrian H. Halili