Calls to increase wages in Philippines seen as untimely

Calls to increase wages in the Philippines have been described as “untimely” for the year as the economy seeks to regain its footing, said a labour official. 

There were petitions for a wage increase, but these failed to progress, said Labour Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay.  

“Both the management, the workers, including the government, know very well the situation of our economy and they cannot just increase the salary,” Tutay told CNN. 

Although the country sees some signs of recovery, the situation still remains “very unstable”, she said. 

READ: Call for faster pay hikes for low-paid workers in the Philippines

A labour group also shared the Department of Labour and Employment’s sentiment that the wage adjustments would be untimely.  It  stressed that the current minimum wage rates make workers “vulnerable to inflation”, according to CNN. 

The Philippines has a daily minimum wage that varies from region to region. Metro Manila has the highest wage rate in the country, where workers earn 500 pesos (US$9.78) to 537 pesos (US$10.51) daily.