Minimum Wages, hindi na sapat! Presyo ng langis at iba pang mga pangangailangan patuloy na tataas

Ayon kay Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, maaaring hindi na sapat ang minimum wage para sa mga workers at sa kanilang pamilya sa National Capital Region (NCR) sa gitna ng malaking pag-taas ng presyo ng langis at iba pang basic goods.

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Bello na inutusan niya ang Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards sa buong Pilipinas na bilisan ang kanilang pag-review ng minimum wages.

“The current daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR), for instance, of P537 may no longer cope with the price of basic commodities such as food, electricity and water bills,” sinabi ni Bello, batay sa ulat ng GMA News.

Gayunpaman, nagpahayag si Bello na may tiwala siya na i-susumite ng RTWPBs ang kanilang rekomendasyon bago ang katapusan ng Abril.

Si Bello ang chair ng Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, at sinabi niya na ang RTWPBs, kabilang ang National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), at ang mga representatives ng labor at employers groups, ay dapat i-monitor ang wage levels, i-assess ang economic factors, at magbigay ng rekomendasyon para sa adjustment ng minimum wages sa buong bansa.

“Setting and adjusting the wage level is one of the most challenging parts of minimum wage fixing. Minimum wage cannot be very low as it will have very small effect in protecting workers and their families against poverty,” aniya.

“If set too high, it will have an adverse employment effect. There should be a balance between two sets of considerations,” dagdag niya.

Nakatanggap ang RTWPBs nationwide ng mga petitions na itaas ang minimum wage sa kanilang respective areas.

“Every year, we have what we call an anniversary period where we make an assessment of all petitions received. One petition called for a uniform increase of P750 in the minimum wage nationwide,” sinabi ni Bello.

(GMA News)