MANILA, Philippines – Nag-isyu ng writ of preliminary injunction ang Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 152 nitong Huwebes, Agosto 13 na nagpapalawig sa suspensyon ng P85 na daily minimum wage hike sa National Capital Region (NCR) habang pending pa ang determination ng petisyon na inihain ng dalawang construction companies.
Sa 14 pahinang kautusan na inisyu ni Presiding Judge Marie Joyce Manongsong, pinagbigyan ng korte ang hiling ng Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. at R-II Builders para sa writ of preliminary injunction laban sa wage hike, sa bond na P10 bilyon.
Sususpendihin ng kautusan ang implementasyon ng NCR Wage Order No. 27, na nagmamandato ng P85 daily minimum wage hike, na pending sa “determination of the merits of the petition for declaratory relief” filed by the two companies on July 23.
Nauna nang nag-isyu ang Pasig RTC ng temporary restraining order (TRO) laban sa minimum increase noong Hulyo 30 at nananatiling epektibo hanggang nitong Huwebes, Agosto 13.
Ang unang tranche ng wage increase na nagkakahalaga ng P60 ay naibigay na sana noong Hulyo 25, habang ang ikalawang tranche ng karagdagang P25 ay ipatutupad sa Enero 20 ng susunod na taon.
Sa pag-iisyu ng preliminary injunction, sinabi ng korte na “cognizant of the burden that this order would cause the millions of workers in the National Capital Region” and that it is “not indifferent to the plight of the workforce, particularly the minimum wage earners.”
Sa kabila nito, “given the unique circumstances of this case, this court is of the belief that it is now an opportune time to make a determination on how the constitutional right of businesses to reasonable returns to investment, and to expansion and growth should be weighed against the workers’ interests in the context of wage fixing.”
“Specifically, this court finds that this case genuinely presents a novel issue regarding the binding nature of Article 124 of the Labor Code,” dagdag pa ng Pasig RTC.
Tinukoy na sa ilalim ng Article 124 ng Labor Code, na nagbibigay ng standards o criteria sa minimum wage fixing, ang regional wage boards ay dapat ikonsidera ang “fair return of the capital invested and capacity to pay of employers.”
“Applied to the facts of this case, this court finds that there is a legitimate issue as to how this provision should be applied to reconcile or balance the interests of labor and management,” sinabi pa ng Pasig RTC.
Sinabi rin ng korte na ang Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) sa NCR ay umasa sa mga impormasyon na nakuha mula sa attendees sa iba’t ibang public consultations nang desisyunan nito ang wage increase, na sinabi naman ng Readycon at R-II na “insufficient representatives of their respective sectors.”
Dahil dito, sinabi ng korte na “it is easily apparent that there is no bright line rule, or any guidepost with respect to the wage board’s sources and extent of data gathering for wage fixing, rendering the same arbitrary.”
Pagpapatuloy, hindi naman sumang-ayon ang korte sa argumento na wala itong hurisdiksyon sa kaso at sinabing ang 60-day period para i-apela ang wage hike sa National Wages and Productivity Commission ay hindi matutugunan sa tamang panahon ang “grave and urgent concerns” ng dalawang kompanya.
“The injunction herein issued is, at its core, a preservative relief that would ensure that the rights of both management and labor are considered, and their existence or livelihood sustained,” dagdag pa.
Kinondena naman ng mga labor group ang desisyon ng Pasig RTC, at sinabi ng Nagkaisa Labor Coalition na ang kautusan ay isang “legal bombshell because it brings the conflict between general procedural remedies and special labor legislation into sharp focus.”
Kahit pa may P10 bilyong bond, iginiit ng Nagkaisa na ang halagang ito ay hindi agad na maipamamahagi sa mga manggagawa kumpara sa implementasyon ng unang tranche ng wage hike na P60.
“Every compensable day of delay means another P60 that a minimum-wage worker cannot use for rice, fare, medicine or baon,” dagdag pa.
Ganito rin ang sentimyento ng Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) at sinabing “no amount of money should make it acceptable to take away a wage increase from workers who are already struggling to survive.” RNT/JGC
