MANILA — The House Committee on Labor and Employment said Monday they are not going to rush the proposed law on wage hike for workers after the Senate passed a similar bill last week. 

Senate OKs P100 wage hike bill

 "Alinsunod po sa direktiba ng ating House Speaker, hindi po natin mamadaliin, kailangan po natin pag-aralan, surin at pakinggan lahat po ng mga hanay, lalong lalo na ho yung investors, yung mga namumuhunan at nagbibigay po ng trabaho sa ating bansa kasi sila po yung maapektuhan pagdating dito sa usapin ng sahod," panel chair Rizal Rep. Julian Felipe Nograles.

Nograles told a press conference they are not pressured by the Senate's approval of the P100 wage hike bill.

 Nograles explained that they have many other things to consider.

'WELCOME, BUT NOT ENOUGH'

 Meanwhile, two progressive lawmakers welcomed the openness of the House leadership to discuss proposals for a legislated wage hike ranging from P150 to P350 per day.

 But they also stressed that this amount is not enough to address the gap between the current minimum wage and the family living wage in the country.

 “Positive itong P350 (proposed daily wage hike), dahil gusto natin lumapit ang sweldo ng ating workers sa tinatawag na nakabubuhay na sweldo o family living wage na sa ngayon, P1,200 na a day… Pero kulang pa rin ‘yan sa family living wage,” ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro told the media in an interview.

 “Positibo na bukas ang Kamara na pag-usapan ang mas mataas na dagdag-sahod kumpara sa naipasang P100 na umento sa Senado. Pero kung talagang ‘substantial solution’ ang ipapasa, dapat P750 na dagdag-sahod ang aprubahan,” Gabriela Party List Representative Arlene Brosas added.

Brosas explained that P750 is not a random number.

"[I]t represents the average gap between existing regional minimum wage rates and the P1,200 family living wage needed to attend to food and non-food needs of Filipino families amid sky-high prices,” she said.

In an interview on TeleRadyo Serbisyo on Monday morning, Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Employers' Confederation of the Philippines, said that a wage hike unrelated to productivity or sales would hurt businesses and could discourage investors.

He said that may mean job losses in the long run.

He added that the minimum wage is meant to protect workers but is not intended to be a living wage.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma has also said that the proposed P100 legislated daily wage hike by the Senate could lead to wage distortion and higher inflation.

 Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo also favors an across-the-board wage increase, either through wage boards or through legislation.

 “Kung hindi gagalaw ang wage boards, I think, ako, I will be in agreement na kahit legislated natin gawin… It will help the economy. Kung may panggastos ang tao, saan naman nila gagastusin yan? Dito rin naman sa bansa natin... Ang question nalang yung nuances,” he said.

“I think P150 talaga ‘yung minimum na tinitingnan," Romulo added.

House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Representative Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe said on Sunday that the House leadership is studying House members’ proposals for a P150 to P350 per day legislated wage increase.

Apart from regional wage orders and legislated wage hikes, wages can be increased through collective bargaining between workers and employers.