Labor Day for the People: A Call for ₱1,200 Family Living Wage & Dignified Work

Inklusibo joins millions of Filipino workers in commemorating the International Labor Day by demanding higher wages amidst a worsening cost-of-living crisis in the country. 

Informal workers in the Philippines, estimated at 35 million or 7 out of 10 Filipino workers, play a crucial role in the economy, contributing significantly through activities like street vending, small-scale public transport, and other services. However, their lack of access to living wages and formal protections means many remain trapped in poverty, job insecurity, and inadequate social benefits.

It is worth noting that the varying minimum wages across the country endanger workers as needs become more unaffordable. Informal workers grapple greater barriers as state apprehension and product confiscation, privatization and monopoly of public markets, transport franchise capture, and other forms of labor precarity exclude them from having access to living wages or incomes. Marcos Jr.’s efforts in improving the economy are insufficient and unsatisfactory. This is evident with the current minimum wage in the National Capital Region only amounting to 53% of the family living wage pegged at ₱1,205.

The call to increase the minimum wage to ₱1,200 is anchored to the prevailing unfortunate situation of workers across the country. Under the current rate of wage, millions of Filipino workers find it  difficult to make ends meet as goods become more exorbitant.  

The national minimum wage is only 30-53% of the recorded ₱1,205 family living wage (FLW), which is the amount needed by a family of five amidst soaring prices. Furthermore, the real wage (adjusted for inflation) significantly lags behind the nominal wage (not adjusted for inflation) under the Marcos Jr. administration. 

Workers’ vote holds significant importance in the May 12th midterm elections, particularly in electing officials who will prioritize and resolve workers’ issues and demands. Nevertheless, beyond any elections, the collective agency of workers—expressed through their unions, organizations, and mass actions—constitutes the primary force capable of realizing structural reforms.

To ease the burden of the current economic crisis, Filipino workers urgently need the following:

  • A significant wage hike, amounting to P1,200 daily family living wage nationwide
  • Price control on basic necessities
  • Job and livelihood security
  • Social protection
  • Decent, affordable, mass housing

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Inklusibo Philippines