Pinag-iisipang baguhin ni Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri ang kanyang proposal para sa legislated wage increase.

Sa isang interview, sinabi ni Zubiri na handa siyang baguhin ang Senate Bill (SB) No. 2002 kahit na pinaghahandaan na ng Senate Committee on Labor and Employment ang report para sa pag-endorso ng P150 daily hike. 

“So what we could do is amend it and come up with the committee report, propose a P100 minimum wage increase — an additional minimum wage increase for our workers.” 

Kumpiyansa siya na mababago nito ang pananaw ng business sector at iba pang mga senador.

“Once we do that (reduction in the bill), of course, we will hopefully be able to pass it and have [the] strong support of all our colleagues in the Senate.”

Sang-ayon din ang mambabatas na hindi sapat ang P40 na dagdag sa sahod ng mga manggagawa sa Metro Manila. Base sa mga panayam at pananaliksik, kailangan talaga ang P100 bawat araw na dagdag sa pasahod upang makagawa ng “impact,” ayon sa kanya.  

“We thank the wage boards for the increase but definitely that is not enough as a P40 increase cannot even buy a kilo of rice because if you go around the markets, one kilo of rice is about P44 to P45 nowadays.”

Positibo si Zubiri na ang pagtaas ng sahod ay makakabawas sa mga gastusin ng mga manggagawa at hindi na nila kakailanging maghintay pa sa regional wage boards para humingi ng pay adjustment sa iba pang 16 na rehiyon ng bansa. 

“What is the difference between our laborers in Mindanao, whose minimum wage is between P350 [and] P370, as compared to the laborers in Metro Manila who are getting at least P580 per day, where all the prices of rice [are] the same; the price of electricity is even more expensive?” 

Matatandaang inaprubahan kamakailan lang ng regional wage board sa Metro Manila ang P40 umento sa sahod ng mga private workers.