A labor group on Monday opposed the decision of an agency under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) not to grant their request for wage increase.
In a report by Defend Jobs Philippines, it said that they have received the resolution of the National Wages and Productivity Commission-Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-NCR (NWPC-RTWPB-NCR) opposing their proposal for a wage hike in order to survive the pandemic.
“Defend Jobs Philippines slams the issued Board Resolution No. 1 of the Labor Department’s NWPC-RTWPB-NCR rejecting the group’s petition for a P100 emergency wage relief across-the-board increase amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” the group said.
It is said in Board Resolution No. 1, it is not within the jurisdiction of the wage board to decide such an issue.
“The said resolution cited a 2007 Supreme Court ruling stating that it is beyond the Board’s scope to grant an across-the-board wage increase. The Board also said that it cannot give due course to the labor group’s petition as they have no jurisdiction on the matter,” they said.
Defend Jobs said the NWPC-RTWPB resolution junking the wage increase was “heartless” and “anti-worker.”
“The resolution… is nothing but a heartless, insensitive and inconsiderate anti-workers decision as it has decided on techinicalities instead of the merits, grounds and humanitarian considerations,” they said.
Board junks proposed wage increase amid pandemic
The group is currently studying the next steps.
Commodity prices continue to spike, based on the latest inflation rate in March.
The unemployment rate in January 2021 remained the same as the October 2020 rate of 8.7 percent. This is the lowest since April 2020 but higher than the January 2020 rate of 5.3 percent.
In terms of magnitude, around 4.0 million Filipinos 15 years old and over were unemployed in January 2021 compared to 2.4 million in January 2020.
Labor force participation rate (LFPR) in January 2021 was placed at 60.5 percent accounting for 45.2 million Filipinos 15 years and over who were in the labor force. This is lower than the LFPR in the same period a year ago at 61.7 percent but higher than the previous quarter’s 58.7 percent.
Employment rate in January 2021 stood at 91.3 percent, which is the same as the October 2020 rate. This means that 41.2 million Filipinos were employed out of 45.2 million Filipinos in the labor force in January 2021. This estimated rate is lower than the reported 94.7 percent in January 2020.