Labor organizations under the Nagkaisa labor
coalition, including Partido Manggagawa (PM), will file today a Motion for
Intervention before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court to oppose the temporary
restraining order (TRO) issued by Judge Manongsong against the implementation
of the ₱85 NCR wage hike.
The intervention will argue that the RTC has no
jurisdiction to stop the implementation of a wage order, as the Labor Code
expressly prohibits courts from issuing injunctions or TROs against proceedings
and decisions of the wage boards.
More than a legal error, however, the TRO reflects a
disturbing lack of empathy and social sensitivity toward millions of workers
who continue to struggle with soaring prices while waiting for long-overdue
wage relief.
We call on Judge Manongsong to immediately dismiss the
petition filed by RII Builders, reportedly owned by a billionaire, and
Readycon, a company reported to be a major DPWH contractor. It is deeply unjust
that the plea of a handful of wealthy corporations was acted upon with such
urgency while the daily hardship of minimum wage earners received little
consideration. Courts should not become instruments for delaying the
constitutional commitment to social justice by shielding powerful business
interests at the expense of workers who can barely make ends meet.
The case likewise exposes not only the legal infirmity
of the TRO but also the weakness of the country’s wage-setting system and the
failure of the Department of Labor and Employment to adequately defend the wage
order.
The incident underscores the urgent need for Congress
to enact the proposed ₱200 legislated wage hike and undertake comprehensive
reforms of the prevailing wage determination system so that workers’ incomes
are no longer held hostage by business interest through litigation every time a
modest wage increase is granted.
PRESS RELEASE
Partido Manggagawa
August 3, 2026
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