Northern Mindanao workers seek pay hike

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the rollback in oil prices, workers in Northern Mindanao are seeking an increase in their daily take-home pay.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) will file today a formal petition seeking an increase in the current P395 minimum wage in Mindanao.

The TUCP will file the petition at the office of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Cagayan de Oro City.

The group has yet to disclose the amount of salary increase it is seeking for the local workers.

“The minimum wage has fallen below the poverty threshold even before the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the succeeding oil price hikes that are now pushing the prices of basic goods and services,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said.

Mendoza disputed the claims of the business sector that a wage increase is not needed as the prices of fuel have been rolled back.

He said the P27 increase granted to minimum wage earners in 2018 has dissipated and the workers’ pay should be increased now.

Mendoza said the purchasing power of the minimum wage earners in Northern Mindanao has eroded to only P296.91 a day, which is insufficient to accord workers and their families nutritious meals.

If the pay hike is granted, it will cover workers in Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao de Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, the TUCP said.

Workers in Cagayan de Oro, El Salvador, Gingoog, Iligan, Malaybalay, Oroquieta, Ozamiz and Valencia will also benefit from the salary adjustment.