DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Francis N. Tolentino vowed to continue defending the ₱85 wage increase for minimum wage workers in Metro Manila after a Pasig court issued an injunction blocking its implementation.
The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 granted a petition filed by Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc. for a writ of preliminary injunction against Wage Order No. NCR-27 on Aug. 13, the same day a temporary restraining order issued by the court expired.
Tolentino said the DOLE would not simply accept the ruling, which effectively puts on hold wage relief intended for more than a million workers and their families in the National Capital Region.
The labor chief said the department would pursue all lawful remedies available to challenge the injunction and defend the wage increase.
“The ruling of Pasig RTC Branch 152 does not merely suspend a wage increase—it takes food off the table of more than a million Metro Manila workers and their families,” Tolentino said.
He emphasized that the ₱85 increase represents more than an additional amount on workers’ paychecks, particularly for families struggling to meet daily expenses.
For minimum wage earners living from one paycheck to another, Tolentino said the increase could help cover food, transportation, rent, education, electricity, and other basic household needs.
“At a time when every peso matters, this ruling denies our workers the relief they have earned and urgently need,” he said.
Tolentino also expressed concern that the court decision could undermine efforts to provide immediate assistance to workers amid rising living costs.
“We strongly express concern over this setback for social justice. We will exhaust every lawful remedy to overturn this ruling and defend the rights and welfare of our workers,” the secretary said.
He assured workers that the DOLE would continue supporting them while the legal proceedings are ongoing.
The wage dispute centers on Wage Order No. NCR-27, which provides for an ₱85 increase in the minimum wage in Metro Manila.
The court issued the injunction after hearing the petition of the two companies, effectively preventing the wage order from taking effect while the case is being resolved.
Tolentino said the DOLE would continue to stand by minimum wage workers and pursue available legal avenues to defend the wage increase.
