WITH ONLY six session days remaining this June, workers from various labor organizations are urging the 19th Congress to act on the long-pending P200 across-the-board wage increase.

Labor groups warned that failure to pass the measure this session could delay it until the 20th Congress, restarting the legislative process from the beginning.

Sonny Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers, called the final days of the current session a "moment of truth" for lawmakers. He urged Speaker Martin Romualdez and other legislators to pass the P200 wage hike, noting that the Senate had already passed its version of the bill in February of the previous year.

Matula emphasized that the proposed wage increase would be the first nationwide legislated wage hike since 1989, offering much-needed relief to over five million minimum wage earners and their families. He also pointed out that wages have declined significantly in real terms, now worth less than 30% of their 1989 value, and stressed that a failure to pass the measure this June would be a step backward in the ongoing fight for a living wage, a right guaranteed by the Constitution but still unrealized nearly four decades after its ratification.

Employers and business groups, however, have expressed concerns about the potential economic impact of a legislated wage increase. They argue that such a measure could lead to job losses, business closures, and reduced investments. These groups advocate for wage adjustments to be handled through the tripartite productivity boards, which involve representatives from the government, employers, and workers.(MyTVCebu)

• Tags
• #Session Days
• #19th Congress
• #P200 Wage Increase
• #Sonny Matula
• #Federation of Free Workers
• #Martin Romualdez