Members of various labor groups hold a motorcade from Balintawak Market to Nepa Q Mart on April 28, 2024, calling for the immediate passage of a 750 PHP wage increase. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in the National Capital Region (NCR) has started a fresh series of consultations for this year’s minimum wage review, an official said on Tuesday.

During the first round of public consultations last May 23, the RTWPB-NCR entertained inputs from labor unions and organizations.

“We invited the labor groups like TUCP [Trade Union Congress of the Philippines], marami po actually ang nag-attend dito sa ating labor group and they were able to convey to us yung kanilang comments, inputs…gusto nila po na magkaroon ng wage increase na P150,” said Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) NCR Regional Director, Atty. Sarah Mirasol.

It can be remembered that during his most recent Labor Day address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed all RTWPBs to start reviewing minimum wage rates.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), then issued a resolution on May 6 directing the RTWPBs to commence the timely review of minimum wages, which falls within 60 days before the anniversary of the last wage order.

In the case of the NCR, the last wage order was issued on July 16, 2023.

The RTWPB-NCR is now preparing for its second round of public consultations on June 4. But this time, employers and management representatives are expected to air their side. This will be followed by a public hearing on June 20, which will be opened to all stakeholders.

“We have to balance the interests of both the employers and the workers,” Mirasol added.

The RTWPB-NCR has already received the first wage hike petition for the year, from the group Unity for Wage Increase Now (UWIN).

The current minimum wage in the NCR is P610 daily for workers in the non-agriculture sector and P573 daily for workers in the agriculture sector, service/retail establishments employing 15 workers or less and manufacturing establishments regularly employing less than 10 workers.

The DOLE has already directed other regions to firm up their schedule for consultations and hearings.

For labor group Federation of Free Workers (FFW), the President’s directive is merely an attempt to quell the growing clamor for a legislated wage hike.

“Ang anniversary ng wage order will come before the State of the Nation Address, so hindi pa magco-convene ang kongreso and definitely mauunahan ng wage order, if ever, ang anumang legislative action on wages. So I think it’s one way they’re trying to, para buhusan ng malamig na tubig yung apoy ng pagnanais nating madagdagan yung sahod…If they make do their promise na right at the anniversary of the previous wage order ay magre-release sila ng bagong wage order, we’re ok with that. But then, hindi po nawawala yung ating panawagan sa kongreso na dagdagan yung sahod ng ating manggagawa sa pamamagitan ng batas,” said Julius Cainglet, FFW Vice President for Research, Advocacy and Partnerships.

Cainglet further emphasized that any wage increase less than P150 will only serve as proof that RTWPBs have become irrelevant. For many decades, workers have suffered from meager adjustments and wage inequality.

“It’s beyond getting a wage increase now, it’s also a critique on the regional wage setting mechanism na atin pong pinupuna dahil meron ngang diskriminasyon. Dahil same nature of work, work of the same value, pero dahil ibang lugar ka nakatira sa probinsya ka, mas maliit ang sinasahod mo,” Cainglet adds.

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines earlier warned that a hefty wage hike of P150 daily will hurt micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), which comprise about 90 percent of establishments in the country. But labor groups argue that the government should provide such enterprises with subsidies in order to ensure the health of both business and employment.