By By Juliane Judilla
Workers’ groups and trade unions led by the United Labor Alliance (ULA) and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)–Panay staged a picket protest outside the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) Region VI office in Jaro on Thursday, April 30, as they filed a petition seeking a ₱250 increase in the daily minimum wage across Western Visayas.
In its statement, United Labor said the petition was driven by sustained inflation and recent oil price hikes, which have worsened the economic situation of workers in the region. The group noted that the current ₱550 minimum wage falls far below the estimated ₱1,030 family living wage, adding that the peso’s declining value has further reduced workers’ purchasing power. It also argued that real wages have seen little improvement since the Wage Rationalization Act of 1989, with current levels barely keeping pace with inflation.
While pushing for the regional wage increase, ULA said the move is part of a broader campaign for a national family living wage of ₱1,200 and the eventual abolition of regional wage boards. The group also urged workers to unionize, called on Congress to pass a national minimum wage law, and pressed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to take executive action.
The group added that government support, such as subsidies and tax breaks, should be extended to small businesses, stressing that higher wages would ultimately boost the economy by increasing consumer spending.
The action, held a day before International Labor Day, gathered workers and allied groups who urged the public to join the May 1 Labor Day mobilization at the Infante Flyover, in front of the University of the Philippines Visayas Iloilo City campus, at 2:00 p.m.
