Higher salaries for Pinoys, that is the dream
Filipinos need/want more pay. (Photo: Philstar)
Let’s admit it. It’s been a rough year for our bank accounts. I thought having a job would make my purchases a little bit easier to stomach but I’m now more conscious than ever about my losses rather than my gains. Prices on nearly everything are skyrocketing and our salaries can barely keep up with any of it.
In this economy?
We’ve all got bills to pay, hobbies to do, and those dang monthly sales to try and ignore to the best of our abilities. Personally, not much luck on my end but we’re all human aren’t we?
There’s an overbearing narrative that in today’s society, constantly working is the only way to survive. In a lot of cases, having just one job means that you’re barely getting by from paycheck to paycheck. You either hustle your butt off or you don’t get to enjoy anything more than bare minimum needs.
Visiting the grocery isn’t a therapeutic activity anymore. Nowadays, it’s more of a trial as to whether or not I’ll just be breaking down with how high the prices of goods are.
You’ve probably heard at least one business owner cry out about how a recession is inevitable—a temporary period of time when the economy slows down. This usually happens when there is less demand for goods and services, and businesses start to lay off workers. Recessions typically last for a few months or years, until the economy picks up. However, if the recession is severe, it can lead to an economic depression.
The bottom line: People can’t afford it. We can’t afford to pay for things, and we can’t afford to keep living like this.
"We want more!"
Labor unions are taking a stand to raise the nationwide minimum wage to P33,000 a month. The Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) and Kawani Laban sa Kontraktwalisasyon (KALAKON) gathered at the Department of Budget and Management in Manila to demand better wages, benefits, and job security—three basic things everyone needs and yet somehow, some of us still have to fight for.
"We challenge President Marcos Jr. to walk the talk. For example, he can make executive issuances to increase present benefits being received now such as the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance, Special Relief Incentive, and Gratuity Pay for job orders and contract of service workers, aside from certifying as urgent the passage of bills to increase the inflation-eroded salaries of government workers," said COURAGE Secretary General Manny Baclagon.
COURAGE stated that not all of the 600,000 contracted government workers recognized by the Inventory of Government Human Resources of the Civil Service Commission are getting the benefits of regular government employees.
Santiago Dasmariñas Jr., national president of COURAGE also claimed that the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), which is meant to rationalize and increase the pay of public sector employees, and the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS), a standardized compensation package for workers in government-owned and controlled corporations, are hindering workers to receive the proper salaries and benefits. A lot of it is due to poor policy implementation and execution.
When the minimum doesn't cut it anymore
According to the third tranche of the SSL, those with a Salary Grade 1 post will get a monthly pay of only P12,517. Given how the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Family Income and Expenditure Survey revealed that a family of five in the Philippines need at least P12,030 monthly to meet basic needs, an increase in wages is definitely needed.
Just with food alone, you’ll be needing around P11,000-28,000 a month in order to put food on the table for three meals a day. That’s not even including other utilities such as water and electricity. Add monthly rent or property fees into the mix and you get a better sense of just how wages haven't been able to keep up with inflation. It’s expensive to live in the Philippines nowadays.
Budgeting is not a fun thing to do especially when you’re left with breadcrumbs at the end of every month because your salary barely hits the mark, or the amount, you need to get by. This is no way to live a comfortable life.
It’s probably also worth noting that some low-income earners have a “no-work-no-pay” policy at their companies. Once they call in sick for the day or have something else to attend to, they won’t receive their full salary for the month.
As much as your boss probably wants it to be, your job isn’t supposed to be your life. People deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labor as well. But when that fruit is only enough to get you by till the next payday, what choice do you have?
Before you rush off to demand a higher wage for yourself, take into account the state of our economy as well. No one is having fun right now other than maybe the 1% who barely feel the weight of their bills. Everyone’s on the same sinking boat aka the world’s economy.
It’s easy to demand higher salaries, but what about the people who have to give these salaries? Where will they get the money to pay us rank-and-file workers? Even the biggest businesses in the world aren’t having a good time. Twitter is owned by the world’s richest man and yet, massive layoffs are happening with rumors of the giant social media platform going bankrupt as early as next year. If it can happen to the people up there, it can happen to all of us down here.
I guess for now, let’s all just take it easy on one another? I’m sure we can afford that, right?
