THE Partido Manggagawa (PM) Cebu chapter has criticized Visayas business chambers for their consistent opposition to wage hike proposals and questioned their concern for the well-being of ordinary workers.
In a press release on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, the labor group said this was not the first time that the business chambers have opposed wage hike proposals at regional wage boards since 1989 and legislated wage proposals since 1999.
Earlier, a group of Visayas-based businesses, collectively known as One Visayas, expressed their opposition to the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 2534, also known as the P100 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Act of 2023.
In a joint position paper dated Feb. 16, local chambers from the three Visayas regions namely the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Central Visayas, PCCI Western Visayas, and PCCI Eastern Visayas urged the government to attract investments and expand economic activities to boost labor and local productivity.
But PM Cebu said the country has already experienced significant economic growth and doubled labor productivity in the past three decades; however, wages for workers have remained stagnant.
“Even as they up the hype of apocalyptic death of local industry and El Niño of foreign investors, the fact remains that minimum wages all over the country fall under the national poverty threshold of P13,797 per month for a family of five,” PM Cebu said.
PM Cebu said over 20 percent of the population remains poor, based on the latest Sovisl Weather Stations survey on self-rated poverty, despite assurances from government of a six percent growth in the country’s gross domestic product.
“The problem is that employers always view wage hikes, union rights, and equitable distribution of wealth as anti-business,” PM Cebu said.
It said wage rates still fall short of meeting the poverty threshold.
“There is also a low level of investment despite this low wage regime incentives,” the labor group said.
It argued that fair compensation for workers has broader benefits beyond concerns of inflation and unemployment.
“We maintain that our call for legislated wage hikes is not intended to harm small businesses; rather, we believe that the positive ripple effects of higher take-home pay extend further than keeping wages at starvation levels,” it added. / EHP