By Jet D. Antolin
EMPLOYERS were criticized by the labor group after they insinuated that the legislative P150 wage hike they are pushing for is merely political.
According to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) represented by Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, the employers’ allegation is unacceptable and only proves that they do not care about their workers.
“Employers’ cavalier and insulting dismissal of our P150 across-the-board wage increase demand smacks of classic corporate arrogance and insensitivity. They are effectively telling their workers, the ones who create the business owner’s wealth and the nation’s wealth to drop dead,” said TUCP Vice President Luis Corral.
Currently, the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region (RTWPB-NCR) is hearing the wage increase petition amounting to P150, which is opposed by the employers.
Most employers reportedly want to limit the increase for their workers to only P16 to P24, and they are also against the across-the-board wage hike, claiming it is purely political.
“We remind employers that the P150 wage increase is reasonable because it is just a simple wage recovery measure backed up by data and proof,” according to TUCP, so it is insulting to portray it as merely political.
The group explained that the continuous rise in the inflation rate is evident in the data, causing the value of workers’ wages to decrease not only in Metro Manila but nationwide.
