TRADE Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s biggest labor group, said Filipinos need a fairer wage adjustment, considering the present high cost of living resulting from inflation.
“We strongly suggest that the government and employer groups represented in the National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, as well as those in the other regions, go back to the drawing board and come up with a more realistic wage increase taking into account all the criteria provided for under the law. Otherwise, what purpose do they serve?” TUCP Vice President Luis Corral said.
He added that what the TUCP and other organized labor groups want is to prevent a repeat of the measly P35 wage hike granted by the NCR wage board, noting it could not even buy a kilo of rice.
“The P35 wage increase was based on a formula involving inflation rate, the consumer price index and labor productivity, but the number one criteria, which is demand for living wage, was not given much thought. Hence, the result of their computation was very low, in fact, much lower than the eventual P35 increase ordered,” said Rosalio Aragon Jr., vice president of Associated Labor Unions.
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