ALU-TUCP wants P120 pay hike for minimum wage earners

THE Associated Labor Union–Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU–TUCP) on Tuesday filed a petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB–7) for a P120 increase in the take home pay of minimum wage earners in Central Visayas.

ALU–TUCP–7 Regional Vice President, Lawyer Nora Analyn Diego, said that it’s about time to increase the wages of workers in the region.

Citing government data, she said that workers in Central Visayas are receiving an average minimum wage of P308.34 and not P366, which is the ideal minimum pay.

And with the implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s TRAIN (Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion) law, she said the purchasing power of the peso further declined.

“P120 is not much,” Diego said as ALU–TUCP, which claims to be the largest labor group in the country with 400,000 members, expressed confidence that the RTPWB-7 will approve their request for a pay hike.

“We’re very confident that the RTWPB will approve our petition. One, because of the effects of the TRAIN law. Second, we’re not making up the figures. They came from the government,” Diego explained.

The ALU-TUCP official also assured the private sector that if their petition will be approved, it will not entail bigger costs for them.

“The employers sector is a booming sector. Central Visayas is the 4th largest contributor to the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). So, why not give back to the laborers?” Diego said.
ALU–TUCP’s decision to file a petition for wage increase came three months after President Rodrigo Duterte enacted the Train Law, which gave workers a larger take home pay but also caused prices of basic commodities and petroleum products to rise.
“The effects of Train Law is a domino effect. It greatly affects the labor sector since the prices of some basic commodities have also increased,” Diego said.
Last February, the Cebu Labor Coalition (Celac) asked for a P155.80 across-the-board wage hike on top of the existing daily minimum wage of P366.
Other groups which requested for additional pay include the Lonbisco Employees Organization (LEO), Metaphil Workers Union (MWU), Nuwhrain-Montebello Charter, N-Katipunan and Unionbank Employees Association (UBEA).