LEARN Statement of Dismay over the Recent 85 Peso NCR Wage Hike

In celebration, DOLE recently announced a “historic” wage hike for Metro Manila Workers. Declaring this “achievement” as the highest increase ever approved for the capital region, the labor department proudly states that this will benefit around 1.1 million minimum wage earners in the NCR. While the government, and no doubt employers, are celebrating this supposed “historic” step for workers, the 85 pesos increase is nothing compared to the historic crisis of living that working families face in this country.

How can the “historic” wage increase be enough in a country that has yet to recover fully from the massive inflation triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran? Is 85 pesos enough to make us forget the long lines for ayuda, the jeepney and taxis running out of gas on the road? Will it be enough to pull families drowning in debt just to afford food and basic necessities?

For the Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN), the wage hike is nowhere near what workers in Metro Manila need to survive with dignity. The fact that the 85 peso increase will be done in two tranches is also an insult to struggling workers. Looking at the history of wages in the Philippines, this wage hike is simply a continuation of a history of injustice, poverty, and hunger for Filipino workers.

Workers do not need spare change, we need a serious wage hike and a reform of our wage setting mechanisms. We echo the calls for a legislated national wage hike. The proposed 200 peso increase is the right first step towards addressing the poverty wages workers have been enduring for decades.

It is also clear that the regional wage boards have failed in their mandate to provide fair and living wages for workers. The fact that they are no doubt patting their backs in celebration over the pathetic 85 peso hike is all the proof we need to back this claim. The regional wage boards must be abolished and a national wage setting mechanism be reintroduced if we are serious about providing sufficiently for workers.”