Rizal Fourth District Representative Fidel Nograles, chair of the labor and employment committee of the House of Representatives, urged to discuss issues on the higher wages soon.
According to Nograles, there should be an immediate action on the bills regarding increasing the wages of employees. He also added that once the preparations are all set and the stakeholders are already informed, they will tackle these bills.
“May mga panukalang batas tungkol sa pagtataas ng sahod na nakatakda nating isalang sa lalong madaling panahon. Once preparations are done and all stakeholders informed, we will proceed with the discussion of these bills,” Nograles said.
This was after the dispute between Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma and House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas on the implementations of national wages.
“Our existing law of having a Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) is still the better approach, and the best approach is collective negotiations so we can see the capacity of employers which provide the terms and conditions for their employees,” Laguesma emphasized during the committee hearing.
On the contrary, Brosas was hopeful that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would take urgency about increasing the wages and prioritize it as a legislative measure.
Some solons attempted to file a bill that needed to abolish the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.
Meanwhile, Nograles wanted to prioritize these bills amid the denouncement of the workers.
“The labor issue is a gut issue, because the ability of Filipino families to afford food amid inflation is directly linked to the pay they receive from their jobs. We in Congress understand the clamor of our people and we would like to reassure them that we are taking steps to address the problem,” Nograles said.
“Mahaba-habang diskusyon pa po ito dahil masalimuot ang issue. While everyone is united in the desire to have higher wages, we also have to ensure that employers are not run to the ground because of this. Kailangang mabalanse natin ang iba’t ibang interes at humanap ng compromise,” he added.
Photo Credit: House of Representatives Website