Minimum wage hike petitions gaining positive progress—Marcos
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. bared that the negotiations for a minimum wage increase are gaining progress.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
Marcos said this in a statement on Thursday, June 29, after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), sat down with the workers, labor unions, and organizations to strike a balance and alleviate the “inflationary pressures” on workers. “But I think our negotiations with workers, with the unions, with the different negotiations, we will be able to come to a good working number, a good compromise,” he said during a meeting with International Labor Organization (ILO) Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo on June 27. This undertaking, he said, aims to ensure that the labor sector will be protected from the rapid expansion of the economy. The current minimum wage in the Philippines ranges between P372 and P470, depending on the region where the business is located. The President said rapid industrialization and expansion of the economy could hurt the labor sector. “When there is rapid industrialization and rapid expansion of the economy, there is a tendency to leave the labor sector behind and just exploit the labor sector,” he said, adding that more than 96 percent of the businesses in the country are small or “nano-enterprises,” he said. “Our workers, of course, are asking for a (wage) increase, workers in those small businesses. We might drive the businesses out because they (employers) cannot pay because they are too small,” he added. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, who was also present during the meeting with the ILO chief, said they might be able to resolve the issue within the week. Laguesma added they will be presenting to the President and the Cabinet the Philippine Development Plan 2020-2023, which has been both endorsed by the labor sector and DOLE, before holding a national tripartite conference. The Labor chief also said they will be meeting with the workers and employers by next month regarding Executive Order (EO) No. 23, which directs the administration to form an inter-agency committee to strengthen the coordination and expedite the investigation, prosecution and resolution of cases of extrajudicial killings and harassment of workers and union leaders and members. “We are doing this mindful of what you also stated and recognize that within a particular country, there are certain domestic laws that have to be in sync with our efforts to embrace and respect bipartisanship,” Laguesma said.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate)
Marcos said this in a statement on Thursday, June 29, after the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), sat down with the workers, labor unions, and organizations to strike a balance and alleviate the “inflationary pressures” on workers. “But I think our negotiations with workers, with the unions, with the different negotiations, we will be able to come to a good working number, a good compromise,” he said during a meeting with International Labor Organization (ILO) Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo on June 27. This undertaking, he said, aims to ensure that the labor sector will be protected from the rapid expansion of the economy. The current minimum wage in the Philippines ranges between P372 and P470, depending on the region where the business is located. The President said rapid industrialization and expansion of the economy could hurt the labor sector. “When there is rapid industrialization and rapid expansion of the economy, there is a tendency to leave the labor sector behind and just exploit the labor sector,” he said, adding that more than 96 percent of the businesses in the country are small or “nano-enterprises,” he said. “Our workers, of course, are asking for a (wage) increase, workers in those small businesses. We might drive the businesses out because they (employers) cannot pay because they are too small,” he added. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, who was also present during the meeting with the ILO chief, said they might be able to resolve the issue within the week. Laguesma added they will be presenting to the President and the Cabinet the Philippine Development Plan 2020-2023, which has been both endorsed by the labor sector and DOLE, before holding a national tripartite conference. The Labor chief also said they will be meeting with the workers and employers by next month regarding Executive Order (EO) No. 23, which directs the administration to form an inter-agency committee to strengthen the coordination and expedite the investigation, prosecution and resolution of cases of extrajudicial killings and harassment of workers and union leaders and members. “We are doing this mindful of what you also stated and recognize that within a particular country, there are certain domestic laws that have to be in sync with our efforts to embrace and respect bipartisanship,” Laguesma said.