Kongresista isinulong umento sa minimum wage
INIHAYAG ni House committee on labor and employment chairman Enrico “Eric” Pineda ang plano ng kanyang komite na talakayin ang posibilidad na magkaroon ng umento sa minimum wage.
Nais ni Pineda na ituloy rin ang deliberasyon ng mga panukalang magsusulong ng institutionalization ng national minimum wage para sa pribadong sektor.
“It’s high time we raise the minimum wage, considering the rising costs of goods and the effects of the pandemic,” ani Pineda, kinatawan ng 1-Pacman.
Sinabi ni Pineda na kabilang ang House Bill (HB) Nos. 246, 276, 541, 668, 2878, 6668, at 6752 na naglalayong amyendahan ang Labor Code of the Philippines para sa institutionalization ng national minimum wage sa pribadong sektor sa mga tatalakaying panukala.
“The cost of goods is not different in all places around the country. which was a primary reason for making wages higher in larger cities in Metro Manila. That reason is barely evident now, since malls have been popping up in provinces, offering the same goods for the same prices, and with the rising gasoline prices, which is even more expensive outside Metro Manila. The effect of the rising gas prices is that everything also goes up. Further, additional expenses are now necessary due to the pandemic. People need to buy masks, vitamins, disinfecting materials, and spend on testing. How do we expect our workers to keep up without any increase in their salaries?” Paliwanag ni Pineda.
Inisyal na tinalakay ang mga panukalang batas ng komite ni Pineda noong Pebrero 2020 bago nangyari ang pamdemya at implementasyon ng lockdowns.
Ngunit, sinabi ni Pineda na walang nangyari dahil kailangan pang resolbahin ang ilang mga isyu at dapat magkaroon pa rin ng masusing diskusyon sa mga panukala.
“We will open deliberations once again also so that we can have some discussions on the feasibility of raising minimum wage through the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC). All stakeholders will be invited so that they may be able to participate and air out their concerns. Our aim always is to strike a balance between labor and management, while also putting importance on the welfare of workers,” dagdag ni Pineda.
