A party-list lawmaker was proposing a P650 national minimum wage to help workers, especially those belonging to the private sector, cope with the rising prices of basic commodities.
In an interview on Sunday, Kabayan partylist representative Ron Salo said he was pushing for wage hike considering that the salaries of workers from different regions differed even though they all experienced the rising prices of goods.
“Ang panukala natin, pangkalahatan, pangkabuuan sapagkat ang concerns natin nag-iiba-iba depende kung saang lugar ‘yung isang manggagawa, nag-iiba rin ‘yung basic minimum wage,” Salo explained.
According to Salo, private sector employee salaries had fallen behind that of government employees, who were recently given increases no matter the region they worked in.
“Hindi lang [sila] napag-iiwanan, iba-iba pa ‘yung minimum wage depende sa lugar. Samantalang sa gobyerno, kahit saan ka sa Pilipinas, pareho lang ‘yung tinatanggap na sweldo, nag-iiba lang ‘yung tatanggapin mong sweldo depende sa sanctions na gagampanan mo,” he said.
In another statement, Salo emphasized that more job opportunities “must be created in the country so Pinoys don’t have to work abroad.”
A higher minimum wage would make more Pinoys stay in their hometowns, he added. (GMA News)
