Pasig Court's TRO on P85 Wage Hike Faces Legal Challenge

Akbayan Representative Chel Diokno on Friday said that no court injunction may block the Metro Manila wage hike, arguing that the Labor Code safeguards its implementation despite a recently issued TRO. "Paalala: Sa Article 126 ng Labor Code, hindi maaaring pigilan ng korte ang pagpapatupad ng wage order. Dapat manaig ang batas at ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa,” Diokno said in a post on Facebook. (A reminder: Under Article 126 of the Labor Code, no court can issue a restraining order to stop the implementation of a wage order. The law and the rights of workers must prevail.) On Thursday, the Pasig Regional Trial Court issued a TRO on the implementation of the P85 increase in the minimum wage in the National Capital Region. "A TRO is issued only if the matter is of such extreme urgency that grave injustice and irreparable injury will arise unless it is issued immediately. In this case, the court finds that the elements were sufficiently established by petitioners," the order read. "At the outset, this court deems it necessary to state that it approached the issue not through a binary perspective, or viewed the parties as groups with absolute dichotomy of interests, but with a recognition that they are actually interdependent," it added. In June, the Department of Labor and Employment approved a P85 daily increase in minimum wage for around 1.1 million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila. With the approved wage hike, non-agricultural workers earning P695 per day will have their wages increased to P780, while agricultural workers will have their wages increased to P743 from P685. In his post, Diokno renewed his calls for a P200 daily minimum wage increase. “Sa gitna ng mainit na usapin tungkol sa sahod, patuloy din nating isinusulong ang P200 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Bill (HB 766) upang matiyak na ang bawat manggagawang Pilipino ay may sapat para sa disenteng pamumuhay,” he said. (Amid the ongoing debate over wages, we continue to push for the P200 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Bill (HB 766) to ensure that every Filipino worker earns enough for a decent living.) –NB, GM News