Increase National Minimum Wage

In light of current debates on livable wages, government unions have joined calls for wage hikes and security of job tenure, urging the government to raise the national minimum salary to be able to earn a living wage.

Due to the decrease in the peso’s purchasing power caused by inflation, government workers urged President to “take urgent steps to address the worsening plight of workers in the government.”

National president of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees, Santiago  Dasmariñas Jr. said, “Present policies like the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) and the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS) have deprived us of salaries and benefits we need to make ends meet.”

The SSL was designed to rationalize and increase the pay of public sector employees, while CPCS is a standardized compensation package for workers in government-owned and controlled corporations.

Labor unions called for an increase in the minimum wage rate of government employees to ₱33,000 per month, which they based on current family living wage standards.

Raising minimum wages could result in workers’ sustained happiness and productivity. It can also stimulate consumer spending, increase the producers’ income, and is beneficial to economic growth.

Source: Inquirer.net, Manila Times