Bill seeking P1,200 national minimum wage refiled in House
In filing House Bill 2599, Makabayan bloc lawmakers Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list and Renee Co of Kabataan party-list said the regional wage board system in the last 30 years only resulted in poverty-level wages for workers.
They proposed the abolition of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board by amending Article 99 of the Labor Code and replace it the National Wages and Productivity Board.
'Filipino workers have weighed in on the regionalized wage regime through 36-year history and found it a big failure. They are now demanding that it be scrapped and for the Philippines to return to the regime of uniform national minimum wage that is based on the family living wage,' the lawmakers said in their explanatory note.
The authors then cited an IBON Foundation study showing that the amount needed to raise the current minimum wage to P1,200 living wage only requires 29.7% to 49.1% of the profits amassed by private employers, making it feasible if only employers are willing to cut down on profits.
'The surge in the prices of oil and other basic goods and services in the last several years likewise has devoured, according to some estimates, the wages of our workers by 25-30%. Workers are now groaning under the crushing effect of heavy taxes and high prices on their wages and income,' the lawmakers said.
'It is therefore imperative for the State to ensure that what the Constitution-the workers' just share in the fruits of production and the workers' right to living wage-is fulfilled in pursuit of the equitable distribution of income and wealth towards economic and social development. The State must recognize its justice and necessity given the workers' contribution to society and the economy amid all the hardships,' they added.
Violators will face several penalties, including a fine of 100% of the total wage increment due their employees multiplied by the number of unpaid working days, plus P50,000 moral damages to each employee, and suspension of business permit.—with a report from Tina Panganiban Perez/AOL, GMA Integrated News
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