New unified labor body sought

A SENATOR on Thursday said he would file a bill seeking the creation of a labor body that would include members of Congress, the Executive, businesses and workers to pursue a “sustainable solution” to hiking Philippine minimum wage rates.

“This would provide a comprehensive look at what the real wage should be, taking into account the actual expenses of a family for education, health, among others,” Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano said in a statement, who will file a bill next week Monday.

Minimum wages in the Southeast Asian nation are set by regional wage boards. But slow and meager increases amid rising prices have prompted lawmakers to push the legislated wage increase.

The Senate approved a counterpart proposal for a P100 daily wage increase for private-sector workers in February last year, while a counterpart bill by the House of Representatives sought a P200 daily minimum wage hike and was approved in February this year.

Business groups have opposed the proposed legislated wage hikes, arguing the move does not take into account differences in each region’s cost of living and industry needs. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio