Alyansa sa mga Mamumuong Kontraktwal sa Sugbo (ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu), an organization of contractual workers, filed a petition before the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Central Visayas (RTWPB-7) today, March 21, seeking a wage increase in the region and for a national minimum wage in the country.

The petition sought to increase an additional P346 to the minimum wage of non-agricultural workers, and an additional P356 to agricultural workers and workers in establishments with less than 10 employees in Class A areas.

For Class B areas, an increase of P384 for non-agricultural workers, and an additional P389 for agricultural workers and for workers in establishments with less than 10 employees was proposed.

For Class C areas, the petition proposed an additional P394 for non-agricultural workers, and an additional P399 for agricultural workers and for workers in establishments with less than 10 employees.

The additional amount to the wages per area add up to P750, which is in line with the group’s call for a P750 national minimum wage.

The last increase in the daily minimum wage was implemented on January 5, 2020. “Workers have been deprived of a wage increase for more than 2 years now,” read ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu’s petition.

They also stated that the current minimum wage in the region is “too low.” According to the organization, as of January 2021, the real value of the P404 daily minimum wage is only P318.61. In areas outside Metro Cebu, its real value is set at P310.73.

The group also wrote in their petition that the pandemic, the impact of Typhoon Odette that hit Visayas and Mindanao last December, and the increasing oil prices “have made the lives of workers miserable.”

Lorenzo Gelbero, an officer of ALSA Kontraktwal-Cebu, said in a statement, “Nanginahanglan karon ang katawhang Pilipino og klaro nga lihok gikan sa gobyerno ug tinuoray nga solusyon sa mga nasinati nga mga krisis sa matag pamilya. Kon sinsero ang gobyerno nga sulbaron ang kalisod sa katawhan, dapat nilang dunggon ug lihokon ang atong mga panawagan.”

(The Filipino people now need clear action from the government and a genuine solution to the crisis that every family is experiencing. If the government is truly sincere in solving the hardships of the people, they must listen to and take action regarding our calls.)

Currently, the minimum wage in Central Visayas for Class A areas is set at P404 for non-agricultural workers, P394 for agricultural workers, and P394 for workers in establishments with less than 10 employees.