(June 30): Workers in the Philippine capital will see their wages rise by a record 12%, with implementation set to start this month, Labour Secretary Francis Tolentino said on Tuesday.
Over 1.1 million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will receive a pay increase of 85 pesos a day, the “largest single wage adjustment ever granted in the capital region", according to the labour department.
The increase will be made in two tranches, specifically 60 pesos on July 19 and 25 pesos in January next year, it said.
Once the increase is fully enforced, the daily minimum wage will have risen by 12% to 780 pesos for non-agriculture sectors. Salaries will increase by 13% to 743 pesos for agriculture, service and retail establishments employing 15 workers or less, as well as for manufacturing establishments with fewer than 10 workers.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said the increase is “grossly inadequate in the face of the collapse in workers’ purchasing power", criticising the government for the two-tranche pay hike.
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The wage increase comes as inflation in the Southeast Asian nation eased to 6.8% in May after hitting a three-year high of 7.2% in April. It remains well above the central bank’s 4% tolerance ceiling.
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