TUCP: P35 minimum wage hike in NCR not enough

The P35 hike in the daily minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region (NCR) is not enough, according to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Tuesday.

In an interview on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, TUCP legislative officer Paul Gajes said the P35 minimum wage hike is just crumbs tossed to humiliate workers.

“Crumbs lang po ito. Barya-barya and crumbs to humiliate the workers. Kaya namin sinabi 'yan, tignan niyo naman po, sadyang kulang na kulang talaga sa pang-araw-araw na gastusin ng ating manggagawang Pilipino,” he added.

(It's just crumbs. Loose change and crumbs to humiliate the workers. We said that because that is really insufficient for the daily expenses of our Filipino workers.)

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the P35 hike in the daily minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region (NCR), increasing it from P610 to P645 for the non-agriculture sector. The National Wages and Productivity Commission released the decision Monday morning and this will be effective 15 days after the publication of the order in national dailies.

Gajes pointed out that the P645 minimum wage is barely enough to meet the needs of a household based on the Pinggang Pinoy study of Ateneo de Manila University.

“I was listening kanina doon sa mga interviews and some are happy about it. Pero kung tutuusin talaga, iisa ang sinasabi nila, may dagdag pero kulang,” Gajes said.

(I was listening earlier to the interviews and some are happy about it. But really, they are saying the same thing, that the additional amount is not enough," Gajes said.

“'Yung isa, sabi pamasahe lang 'yan. 'Yung isa, sabi bayad utang lang. 'Yung mga ganu'ng reasoning. So we can clearly see hindi talaga sapat,” he added.

(One said it was just for fare. The other said it was just for debt payment. Those are the kinds of reasoning. So we can clearly see that it is not really enough.)

For entry level

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma defended the P35 hike pointing out that it is just for entry level positions and workers should not rely only on the minimum wage for all their needs.

“Sa mga lumipas naman na taon lagi naman nating naririnig na kulang, maliit, hindi sapat. Pero gusto ko bigyan ng diin na 'yun pong karagdagan ay sa minimum wage o sa floor level, entry level lang po ito,” he said.

(In the years that have passed, we always hear that it is lacking, small, not enough. But I want to emphasize that that addition is at the minimum wage or at the floor level. It is only for entry level.)

“Hindi po ito ang dapat na asahan na panggagalingan ng lahat ng pangangailangan ng isang manggagawa at kaniyang pamilya,” he added.

(This should not be the only source for all the needs of a worker and his family.)

Gajes said the TUCP continues to push for a P150 legislated wage hike, which is already approved in the Senate and still pending in the House of Representatives’ Committee of Labor and Employment.

“Ito talaga 'yung tinutulak natin na P150 kasi ito po 'yung sa tingin naming talagang nararapat na increase kaysa barya-barya lang na traditionally binibigay talaga ng regional wage boards natin,” Gajes said.

(We are pushing for P150 because this is what we think workers should receive rather than just loose change that are traditionally given by our regional wage boards.)

“This P150 has been proven. Meron kaming datos. Meron kaming computation. Meron tayong mga resource persons na in-invite doon to prove, academics and economist na talagang sakto lang ito, actually, barest minimum na ito,” he added.

(This P150 has been proven. We have data. We have computations. We have resource persons who have been invited there to prove, academics and economists, that this is really the exact amount, actually, this is the barest minimum.) —KG, GMA Integrated News