House bill seeks P750 pay hike for private sector workers

Workers at a medicine factory in the Philippines (AFP FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — A bill proposing a P750 across-the-board hike in the daily wages of private sector employees to help them cope with the high prices of commodities was filed before the House of Representatives on Monday by members of the Makabayan bloc.

“All employers in the private sector, whether agricultural or non-agricultural, shall pay a Seven Hundred Fifty Pesos (PhP750.00) across-the-board wage increase in the daily wage and salary rates of workers — regardless of employment status and position of workers and regardless of the industry classification and location of the enterprise,” the Makabayan bloc said regarding  House Bill No. 7568.

“The new daily minimum wage to be taken into account for the purposes of this Act shall be the sum of the current daily wage payable by an employer to its employee for an ordinary work day as it (is) customary at his place of employ and the P750.00 across-the-board and nationwide increase mandated in this Act,” the group of lawmakers added.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, also noted in the bill that the wage increase cannot be coupled with salary deductions to even out the benefits provided by the proposal, if it is enacted.

Furthermore, wage increases garnered from a collective bargaining agreement would not be credited as part of the P750 across-the-board wage hike.

Companies are also not allowed to layoff employees because of the implementation of the bill, should it be passed and signed into law.

While this is the first time a P750 across-the-board wage hike has been proposed in the 19th Congress, there have been several calls for salary increases given that headline inflation rates breached the 8.0 percent mark — peaking to 8.7 percent in January 2023.

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