Minimum wage workers are unlikely to see an increase in their daily pay in spite of increasing prices in fuel and other goods, after a petition for a minimum wage hike was rejected.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) confirmed that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) dismissed their petition to raise salaries, in a move that the TUCP said was based on a “trivial matter” and “technicality,” as the RTWPB claimed that they did not have jurisdiction over the petition.
The petition sought an increase of PHP470 (US$9.17) to the present minimum wage of PHP537 (US$10.47) in Metro Manila, as the group argued that the current minimum wage could only provide workers and their families with “nutritionally deficient survival meals.”
The TUCP said that they were dismayed over the decision, insisting that the board sided with the interest of business groups.
That said, the group said that the RTWPB’s decision will not deter them from filing another petition.
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