EMPLOYERS who fail to comply with the PHP50 daily minimum wage hike in Metro Manila starting July 18 face a PHP25,000 fine and imprisonment of up to two years, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada warned Thursday.
Estrada said he is re-filing his bill amending Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act to strengthen the implementation of wage laws.
“The Constitution mandates a living wage. Yet we struggle even to enforce the minimum wage in many areas. This bill seeks to close that gap. By increasing penalties and improving enforcement, we send a strong message: wage theft will not be tolerated,” Estrada said in a news release.
The measure seeks to impose stiffer penalties on violators, including fines of not less than PHP100,000, moral damages of up to PHP30,000 per affected worker, and possible imprisonment of two to four years.
The bill also proposes an automatic garnishment of the violator’s assets if fines are left unpaid. For corporations, officers such as the president, chief executive officer, or managing director would be held personally liable.
Under Wage Order No. NCR-26, violators may be penalized with a fine and jail time ranging from one to two years.
The order, approved by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-National Capital Region on June 24, raises the daily minimum wage in the region to PHP695 for non-agriculture workers and PHP658 for those in the agriculture sector, as well as in small retail and manufacturing establishments.
“Taon-taon naman halos ay may ipinatutupad ang ating mga RTWPB na pagtaas sa arawang sahod ng ating mga manggagawa. Pero hindi sapat na ianunsyo lang ang dagdag-sahod. Dapat may ngipin ang ating batas para matiyak na susundin ito ng lahat ng employer — malaki man o maliit ang kumpanya (Almost every year, our RTWPBs implement an increase in workers’ daily wages. But it’s not enough to just announce the wage hike. Our laws must have teeth to ensure compliance from all employers — whether big or small companies),” Estrada said. (PNA)
