MANILA, Philippines — Workers demanding a salary increase will be disappointed as there will be no announcement of a wage hike this Labor Day.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma maintained that all Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards nationwide have already issued orders granting pay increases for minimum wage earners and kasambahay or domestic workers.
“The round of minimum wage adjustments is done. Over and above that, we are leaving it to the legislature,” Laguesma said yesterday in a radio interview.
The legislated wage increase is a mandate of Congress and beyond the authority of the Department of Labor and Employment, he stressed.
There is a need to balance workers’ needs for wage adjustment and employers’ capacity to pay if a legislated wage adjustment will be approved, he said.
A workers’ group yesterday gathered at Quiapo Church to push for a wage hike and protest against the proposed Charter change.
Labor federations and workers’ groups under the National Wage Coalition are staging a Labor Day protest action today, demanding the immediate passage of a P150 legislated wake hike pending before the House of Representatives.
They said a P150 legislated wage hike is only the “first pivotal step” to actualize the living wages embodied in the proposed legislation for a P750 daily wage increase.
Among those joining the rally are the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and Nagkakaisa Labor Coalition.
The Philippine National Police has deployed 51,402 personnel since Monday when transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide started its three-day strike.
Lalamove sets strike
Delivery riders of app-based courier service providers are holding a nationwide strike today amid high deductions on their commissions.
Around 50,000 riders of Lalamove, Grab, Angkas, MoveIt and Joyride are expected to join the protest and will not accept bookings today.
Lalamove Drivers’ Association president Ramon Paleracio said they are demanding that Lalamove hike the base fare share of riders.
Paleracio noted they have directed their demands to the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The DICT said it would summon Lalamove on Thursday and investi[1]gate if the courier service committed violations. — Emmanuel Tupas, Reinier Allan Ronda