By Charissa L. Atienza
Makabayan lawmakers yesterday filed a bill seeking a P750 national minimum wage for private sector workers to enable them “to live and maintain a decent standard of living” in the wake of surging prices of oil, electricity, rice, and other basic goods and services.
Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao, along with six other progressive solons, filed House Bill 7787 batting for the establishment of a national minimum wage for private sector workers and the abolition of the regional wage boards.
“It is not only that the current level of wages per region no longer answers to the basic daily needs of workers’ families. It is also no longer commensurate to the contribution of labor to the economy,” they said.
They noted that since 1991, labor productivity across all sectors has increased 353 percent from R60,342 in 1991 to P353,206 in 2016.
The authors of the proposed National Minimum Wage Law of 2018 said HB 7787 aims to address regional wage disparities and harmonize wage levels across regions with the national economic and social development plans.