The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has expressed its support for Senate Bill No. 2002 or the Across-the-Board Wage Increase Act of 2023, filed by Senate President Migz Zubiri.
“The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines welcomes Senate Bill No. 2002, filed by Senate President Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri, which calls for a P150 across-the-board increase of the minimum wages of workers in the private sector across all regions,” said TUCP in a press statement.
“We welcome these various initiatives to increase wages of workers because these many proposals, especially spearheaded by the Senate President, underscore the badly needed wage adjustment in light of the erosion of the purchasing power of workers’ wages due to inflation,” the group added.
The TUCP is the largest confederation of trade federations in the country.
“We are thankful to have the TUCP’s support for the Across-the-Board Wage Hike Bill.”
“We are thankful to have the TUCP’s support for the Across-the-Board Wage Hike Bill,” Zubiri said. “And we assure them and all our laborers, that we are with them in fighting for living wages.”
Addressing concerns from the business sector that the wage hike will force business owners to shut down, or lay employees off, the veteran legislator countered that failing to increase wages will drive workers to other countries anyway.
“We have two choices: itaas natin ang sweldo ng mga manggagawa, o panoorin natin silang mangibang-bansa.”
“We have two choices: itaas natin ang sweldo ng mga manggagawa, o panoorin natin silang mangibang-bansa para sa mas magandang kita,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
“Especially since the daily wage in Metro Manila is at about $10 a day, compared to somewhere like the United States, where it’s about $10 an hour. Kaya mag-aalisan talaga sila kung hindi sila makakatanggap ng nakabubuhay na sahod,” the senator added.
“Hindi natin pwedeng gipitin ang mga manggagawa. Sila ang nagpapagalaw ng ating mga industriya. Without them, our industries will shut down, and our economy will plummet. So, they really deserve to make a living wage,” he concluded.
