Wage Board Defends P85 Hike Process Amid TRO; Labor, Employers React

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-NCR (RTWPB-NCR) expressed bafflement over the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued against the P85 minimum wage hike in Metro Manila. The board maintained that it followed minimum wage-fixing guidelines and conducted thorough consultations. "We are truly saddened, especially since we know we went through the proper process… it was a discussion among the members of the board, and everyone was given an opportunity to speak," said RTWPB-NCR Chairperson Atty. Sarah Buena Mirasol in a "24 Oras" report by Bernadette Reyes on Friday. She added that they discussed various positions and comments from labor, employers, and the government, expressing confidence that they adhered to due process and the established guidelines for minimum wage fixing. However, the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) issued a TRO on Thursday, halting the implementation of the P85 minimum wage increase in Metro Manila, which was approved by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in June. The order directs the RTWPB-NCR and the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) to cease the wage hike's implementation until August 13. While the DOLE respects the court's decision, the agency, through the NWPC, is coordinating with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), its legal counsel. The RTWPB-NCR noted that any appeal regarding the wage hike should be properly reviewed by the NWPC. Board members also expressed confusion as to why the TRO halts the wage increase across the entire NCR, given that the petition was filed in Pasig City. Mirasol stated, "I also can't quite understand it, because under our procedure, an appeal from the RTWPB goes straight to the NWPC—specifically to determine if there was grave abuse of discretion on our part or if we failed to comply with minimum wage-fixing guidelines." The regional wage board said it will defer decisions on the implementation of the TRO to its legal counsel, the OSG. Kamanggagawa Representative Ely San Fernando called for an investigation into the Pasig RTC's actions for allegedly encroaching on the wage board's jurisdiction. "Under RA 6727 and the Labor Code, exclusive jurisdiction over wage setting lies with the regional wage boards. So if businessmen want to appeal, they should take it to the National Wages and Productivity Commission, not to a Regional Trial Court," San Fernando said. He added, "Pasig RTC Branch 152 is overriding and encroaching upon what is clearly written in the law. This really merits a congressional inquiry." DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino clarified that employers must still pay employees the approved wage hike for work rendered before the court injunction took effect. "The workers already have a vested right to those earnings, so they shouldn't have to return them," he added. This TRO could potentially dampen efforts to improve workers' living standards during the Philippines' economic recovery period and is expected to impact future labor negotiations and economic policies. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/LDF, GMA News