[Philippines] P900 minimum wage proposed for labourers

A minimum daily wage of P900 for labourers is being sought in The Philippines by party-list group ACTS-OFW, The Philippine Star reports.

The group believes that improved pay, in the form of the proposed minimum wage, could help prevent a shortage of workers caused by economic migration overseas.Representative John Bertiz said, “We are losing a great deal of good construction laborers to other countries that are paying up to 10 times the P537 daily minimum wage in Metro Manila,”

“This is why the government has to raise substantially the floor wage for construction workers. Our sense is, many of them would prefer to stay here at home with their families, as long as they get higher pay,” he continued. Rep. Bertiz used the example of New Zealand, where a Filipino labourer may earn an average wage of NZ$150. Which is P5,300 a day even before benefits.

ACTS-OFW are not the first to call for change.Isidro Consunji, president of a major Philippine construction company - DMCI Holdings Inc. - publicly backed a daily wage of P737-837 for construction workers. He admitted DMCI were struggling to find labourers and explained, “They (construction workers) are exposed to the elements (heat and rain). It’s a lot heavier work and a lot riskier (compared to those in other industries such as manufacturing or services).”

Labourers will soon be in even higher demand. The Department of Transportation has just broken ground on the 36 km Mega Manila Subway - the Philippines’ first underground rapid passenger transit system.

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A minimum daily wage of P900 for labourers is being sought in The Philippines by party-list group ACTS-OFW, The Philippine Star reports.

The group believes that improved pay, in the form of the proposed minimum wage, could help prevent a shortage of workers caused by economic migration overseas.Representative John Bertiz said, “We are losing a great deal of good construction laborers to other countries that are paying up to 10 times the P537 daily minimum wage in Metro Manila,”

“This is why the government has to raise substantially the floor wage for construction workers. Our sense is, many of them would prefer to stay here at home with their families, as long as they get higher pay,” he continued. Rep. Bertiz used the example of New Zealand, where a Filipino labourer may earn an average wage of NZ$150. Which is P5,300 a day even before benefits.

ACTS-OFW are not the first to call for change.Isidro Consunji, president of a major Philippine construction company - DMCI Holdings Inc. - publicly backed a daily wage of P737-837 for construction workers. He admitted DMCI were struggling to find labourers and explained, “They (construction workers) are exposed to the elements (heat and rain). It’s a lot heavier work and a lot riskier (compared to those in other industries such as manufacturing or services).”

Labourers will soon be in even higher demand. The Department of Transportation has just broken ground on the 36 km Mega Manila Subway - the Philippines’ first underground rapid passenger transit system.

OTHER STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU

Exploring the 2019 economic outlook for the Philippines

Workers' rights handbook for Filipinos overseas

Everything you need to know about Filipino employment contracts