By Alvin Elchico, ABS-CBN News – The Philippines has the highest wages for workers among third world countries in Asia, according to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).
This after President Aquino shot down proposals for a P125 across-the-board wage increase during his Labor Day speech.
Data from ECOP showed that the minimum daily wage in Metro Manila stands at almost $10 a day compared to $2.20 in Vietnam, $2 in Cambodia, $2.90-$3.00 in Indonesia,$5.20-$5.90 in Thailand and $3.75-$5.00 in China.
ECOP president Ed Lacson said in a globalized economy, if labor is expensive, exported products and the manufacturing sector will lose.
Asked if the P426 daily mininum wage would be enough for the expenses of a family of 6, Lacson said the assumption is there are more than one employed family member so the daily wage is augmented.
ECOP earlier said it will push for around P8 hike in daily wages but will follow whatever is approved by the wage board.
However, Lacson warned that “one cannot squeeze blood out of stone”, insinuating the possibility of downsizing the workforce or worse, shutdown of business if employers can no longer afford to give salary increase.
Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization (Philfoodex) president Bobby Amores, laments that manufacturers of food and agricultural products are at a disanvantage over neighboring Asian countries not just from high labor costs, but also expensive power cost
“Let’s cut costs to save jobs, not cut jobs to save costs,” Amores said.
ECOP is also asking for an Employers Day so they can also highlight the plight of business owners especially in the Philippines, where 99% of enterprises are small and medium scale businesses.
Lacson has a final message for labor groups who marched in the streets on Labor Day: “Kung ano po ang nakakagaling sa kompanya, makakagaling din sa inyo. Don’t ask for anything na hindi kaya… Ang kalaban po natin ay kahirapan, hindi kami.”
Minimum wage should depend on the net profit of small and big corporation so that the business make a profit and survive without increasing prices of your products. This way both of them can afford to pay their employees. A goverment audit is required to be fair for both employer and employees as well as share holders.
¡Isulong ang socialismo!
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM WAGE IN PHILIPPINES? I put this in Google & I do not get an answer. What gives
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I stay at hotels in Manila average cost $100 USD per night plus a 10% service charge and 12% tax. Who gets the 10% service charge? – do the math – if a maid can clean 10+ rooms(I know they often do 10 – 20 rooms) a day that’s a dollar a room, meaning they should get $10 a day – this is bullshit as the greedy hotel owner not only takes the $100 USD they also pocket most of the 10% service charge their guests pay. The average wage for a room attendant is $2 a day. Their is a lot of evil greedy business people in the Philippines feeding off the poor, President Aquino you seem like a fair man wake up and stop this greed and help your people.
jon, before you say anything about the philippines, make sure you know what you are saying. By law, the 10% service charge (70% goes to employees, 30% goes to employer), this is by law. The service charge is on top of their basic salary.
The $100USD is gross sales not income, know the difference. They have to pay for the salaries, power, utilities, lease, and taxes. Income tax alone would probably take 30% off the $100.
Of course, the $100 is probably because it is a premium hotel, you can go to cheaper hotels that charge less, but you do get what you pay for.
Just because you own a business, does not mean that you are greedy. And this would apply to whatever country you maybe at.
This article would mean something if minimum wage was actually GIVEN. Nurses in the Philippines are routinely overworked and underpaid to the tune of 8k per month in private hospitals. That is beyond insulting
The minimum wage in Thailand in the Bangkok area (which is the same as the NCR in the Phils), is 10$ a day.
In the other regions of Thailand, its between $7-8.5 a day.
How about employee productivity? Is there a corresponding increase in worker output whenever companies raise wages? If this is not the case then what usually happens is that per unit cost of products and services of businesses will eventually rise which eventually negates the higher income of workers.
Socialism is destroying the world; don’t let it destroy the Philippines as well. All the progress we’ve attained so far will be undone if we make the same mistakes as Europe and the U.S.