Labor groups seek House approval of wage hike bill

DESPITE the dimming prospect of the proposed P150 across-the-board legislated wage hike becoming a law, the labor sector remains confident that the House of Representatives would take decisive action in support of Filipino workers.

Two of the country's biggest labor federations, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Monday reiterated their call to the House leadership for the approval of House Bill (HB) 7871, or the Wage Recovery Act of 2023.

HB 7871, authorized by TUCP party-list representative House Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza, has long been pending before the Committee on Labor and Employment, in spite of a marching order from Speaker Martin Romualdez to conduct hearings on the matter as soon as possible.

The Senate approved in February the proposed P100 legislated wage hike.

Labor leaders said that the immediate approval of HB 7871 would start the ball rolling for the bicameral approval of the legislated wage hike and its enactment into law.

FFW President Sonny Matula said that they were not yet calling for the amendment of the existing wage law but urged the House leadership to pass the P150 wage hike across the nation as an emergency measure to cope with rising prices and recover from inflation.

«The ball is now in the House of Representatives; don't dribble it further, but shoot the ball to the goal,» said Matula, adding that the FFW expects that before the end of May, the House Committee on Labor will approve HB 7871.

He said that the proposed P150 wage hike represents only 24 percent of the P610 minimum wage in the National Capital Region and that the percentage is notably lower than the second-highest wage increase of 39.1 percent nationwide in 1989 or the highest 100 percent in 1951.

«This modest adjustment reflects a balance between addressing economic considerations and improving the standard of living for Filipino workers,» he said.

The proposed P150 legislated wage increase is strongly opposed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Employers' Confederation of the Philippines, and six other business groups, saying that wage hike is always «horrible» or