A WORKER in the province having a salary equal to those in Metro Manila would be an ideal start to the imposition of a national wage system in the country.
This was according to the Partido Manggagawa (PM), saying all workers in the country should be entitled to a salary amounting to P491 per day.
“A good start would be aligning the national minimum wage rate to the rate received by workers in the National Capital Region (NCR),” said PM Chairman Renato Magtubo in an interview.
“The problem that would be addressed would be the gaps between the NCR rate and that of other regions,” he added.
Magtubo, though, admitted that he is doubtful on the seriousness of the Duterte administration and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in pushing for a nationalized wage system.
“I think the administration is not serious on the national minimum wage for workers all over the country. Until now, no bills have been certified and filed in Congress to effect a national minimum wage fixing for workers,” said the labor leader.
Still, Magtubo opined that providing a one year and a half period of adjustment will already be enough for other regions to amend their respective wage rates if the government is bent on implementing such a change.
Earlier, the labor department related that the Duterte administration will be pushing for the return to a nationalized minimum wage system and remove the so-called “provincial rates” of wages. (HDT/Sunnex)