Owners of Small & Medium Businesses Find it Hard to Follow New Wage Order by DOLE
Small and medium-sized businesses in Metro Manila are struggling to follow the new wage order and admit it could be difficult for them to manage.
The NCR Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board recently issued Wage Order No. 28, which provides an additional P60 to the daily minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region.
The increase comes while Wage Order No. 27, which calls for a P85 daily wage hike, remains pending before the court.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has questioned the new order, saying workers should receive the full P85 increase under the earlier wage order. The group also argued that the new measure could affect workers’ rights while the court case is still unresolved.
The issue also became a major point during the Labor Department’s budget hearing, where lawmakers asked why the P85 wage increase had not yet been implemented. Kamanggagawa Party-list Representative Elijah San Fernando said the Office of the Solicitor General had indicated that there was no legal barrier preventing the implementation of Wage Order No. 27.
Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino, however, explained that Wage Order No. 28 was issued because the court has yet to make a decision on the earlier order. He said workers cannot simply wait for the case to be resolved, which is why the wage board approved an increase.
For workers like Naiman, who recently moved to Metro Manila from the province for a better-paying job, any increase is welcome. He is set to start working as a sales promoter next week and hopes the wage hike will help workers cope with rising prices.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry said small and medium-sized businesses will comply with the new wage order but warned that they may face financial pressure.
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