CMNT_TITLE

Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery (Agriculture) Convention, 1951 (No. 99) - Philippines (RATIFICATION: 1953)

1. Article 3, paragraph 5, of the Convention. The Committee refers to its observation and notes that by virtue of section 127 of the Labour Code, as amended by Act No. 6727 of 25 July 1988, no wage order issued by any tripartite Regional Board shall provide for wage rates lower than the statutory minimum wage rates prescribed by the national Congress. It notes, however, that section 5 of the above Act authorises, under certain conditions, temporary exceptions from the application of the new provisions for wages in enterprises located outside certain territorial zones, which need financial assistance for their operations and investments, and that section 122(c) of the Code, as amended by Act No. 6727, provides that, among their other responsibilities, the tripartite Regional Boards are empowered to receive and process applications for exemptions from legal provisions prescribing wage rates.

The Committee requests the Government to indicate: (a) whether exemptions as set out in section 5 of the above Act have been granted to agricultural enterprises located in the territorial zones under consideration and; (b) whether tripartite Regional Boards have processed applications from agricultural enterprises for exemption from the applicable minimum wage rates.

2. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether the regulations referred to in section 13 of Act No. 6727, intended to implement the provisions of the Act have been adopted and, if so, to supply their text.

3. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would also supply information on the methods by which effect is given in practice to the minimum wage-fixing machinery in agriculture and on the occupations and numbers of workers covered by the above legislation and the minimum rates of wages fixed, in accordance with Article 5 of the Convention.