Salaries of low-paid workers should rise faster than higher waged ones—labor group

Photo from Rappler

In reaction to a report that telecoms and IT jobs got the highest entry-level wages last year, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) stated that salaries of low-paid workers should rise faster than higher waged ones. “This is one way to achieve inclusive growth which is an avowed labor market agenda of the government but is evidently not materializing,” averred Judy Miranda, PM secretary-general.

 

The Jobs Street report revealed that entry-level jobs in telecoms and IT command an average monthly salary of P19,000 to 20,000. “Telco and IT workers deserve those wages and maybe even more. In comparison, the monthly minimum wage in the NCR, which is the highest nationwide, is less than P14,000 and has not risen in three years. In Eastern Visayas, the minimum wage is just above P8,000. This wage disparity in non-agricultural wages is bad for workers and not good for inclusion,” explained Miranda.

 

She added that “We should remember that many workers, many of them women, are paid even less than the minimum. In the NCR, there are 1 million minimum wage earners but more than 800,000 workers paid below the minimum. It is worse nationwide: 2.4 million minimum wage earners but 8 million paid below the minimum. These are numbers culled from the October 2020 data of the Philippine Statistics Authority.”

 

PM is calling for raising the minimum wage through direct wage increases combined with price discounts, social security subsidies and public services provisioning. The group also advocates for the abolition of regional wages and the institution of a national minimum wage.

 

“President Rodrigo Duterte once upon a time promised to end the system of provincial wages. But similar to his betrayal of the end endo pledge, Duterte will end his term with the regional wage system firmly in place to cheapen workers’ wages. In contrast, Vice President Leni Robredo has signed a covenant with labor groups which includes a provision for establishing a national minimum wage and ways to achieve a living wage,” Miranda avowed.

 

“Not only is a national minimum wage rational since cost of living varies little across the country, it is also efficient since dozens of regional and local minimum wages are difficult to enforce,” Miranda argued.

 

PM is signatory to the covenant along with labor centers and federations that have committed to support the tandem of Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan. 

January 27, 2022