Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 16) — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Sunday said he is determined to push for the ₱150 wage hike through legislation, citing a recent survey showing it is among the top concerns of Filipinos.
A Pulse Asia survey released last week showed 44% of Filipinos said a wage hike is the second most urgent national concern after controlling inflation.
Zubiri also cited the results of another Pulse Asia survey which found that 97% of Filipinos polled said they were in favor of the ₱150 wage increase for private sector workers. He also said that it was a “rider” pushed for by his office to include in the survey to get the public’s opinion.
Zubiri added that he would use the results of the poll to convince his colleagues to support the wage hike bill when the Senate resumes deliberation on it.
Last March, Zubiri filed Senate Bill 2002, or the Across-the-Board Wage Increase Act of 2023 that seeks a pay increase of ₱150 nationwide. A ₱40 daily minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region was approved last June.
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Zubiri said he has spoken with several businessmen who said they were “agreeable” with the move to raise wages.
“They have seen a marked increase in Filipino workers wanting to leave the country and work as OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) abroad. They are experiencing a brain drain on skilled workers and having a hard time hiring even new graduates who are applying for passports to seek greener pastures abroad,” he added.
As the economy grows, Zubiri noted, businesses could take the slight additional cost as it would result in “a more productive and inspired work force.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) urged employers to implement a ₱40 across-the-board wage increase to avert possible labor disputes.
“The Department of Labor and Employment offers certain recommended formulas for wage distortion adjustments. However, the most effective, straightforward, and simplest method is an across-the-board wage increase, particularly among rank-and-file employees,” said Jun Ramirez, national vice president and concurrent union president of the Vishay Philippines Employees’ Union-FFW, in a statement on Sunday.
The FFW cites article 124 of the Labor Code where wage distortion is a situation where wage differentials among employee groups in an establishment are “severely diminished or eliminated due to enforced wage increases.”
