THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Thursday filed a petition seeking a P420 increase in the minimum wage for Caraga region in northeastern Mindanao, bringing daily pay to P745.
In its petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Caraga, the TUCP said that the P15 hike approved by the board after almost three years “has long dissipated.”
The TUCP said that the current monthly minimum wage of P8,320.00 is far below the poverty threshold for the region, estimated at P13,613.00.
It also said that the P5,340.80 food threshold from the current take home pay of P7,647.20 per month implies a per-person meal cost estimate of “around P11.71.”
“Clearly, the amount cannot provide for the recommended nutritional requirements for a family of five, not by any stretch of the imagination,” it added.
The TUCP refiled its petition for a P470 increase in the minimum wage for Metro Manila, after the capital region’s wage board dismissed a similar plea due to jurisdiction issues.
The TUCP has also filed wage hike petitions in the Central Visayas and Davao region. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza