Wage Increase or COLA?
By jmeangeL
@jmeangeL (66)
Philippines
March 2, 2010 9:29pm CST
Before the term of PGMA ends, Labor Sectors are now asking for a wage increase. This is because of the fact that business is now starting to pick up again from the rubbles of last year's economic downturn.
If you were asked... do you prefer Wage Increase (Salary Increase) or COLA (Cost of Living Allowance)?
4 responses
@tholitz (1127)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
Hi jmeangel!
Usually the one who benefits in wage increase are those who are earning the specified minimum salary. I could not recall anything about across the board increase in salary that this government have given up to now, it is usually in the minimum wage salary level only.
With this, I'm favoring more of the COLA where every workers could benefit. Though I still believe that the government should increase the benefits of workers in other means such as in medical (free or lower cost of hospitalization), stable price of essential food, tuition fees, etc. This would definitely a much needed help to the workers.
Have a nice day!
@jmeangeL (66)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
I do agree! For us earning monthly wages, even if there's an increase in the minimum salary, we won't benefit. Besides wage increase are taxable.
In our company, meal and transportation allowances are non-taxable. I don't know if that's the ruling by the government or just company incentive.
I do hope that the government would mandate an increase on the COLA. It's non-taxable so they won't get their greedy hands on it.
@kryptoscode (452)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
Sorry for asking but I honestly don't know what is the difference of the two. What are the benefits of COLA?
@jmeangeL (66)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
Wage or salary is what employers pays its employees for rendering work.
COLA or cost of living allowance as implies from its name is the amount that an employee should get in order to live decently. This should be enough to give a person purchasing power or enough money to get by.
Minimum wage is not necessarily your COLA. Companies gives COLA benefits to its workers to increase a wage. Either in the form of meal subsidy, transportation allowance, clothing allowance, etc.
@raynejasper (2322)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
..hi.. as of now, what I know is, the COLA is already added in the salary and both are taxable so for me, it doesn't matter if the COLA or the salary will be increased.. What matters for me is for the wage to be increased considering the fact that all prices of goods and services are increasing very fast and our wage is not enough.. At present, I really have a monthly deficit because of the increase of prices.. I just really hope that our wage will increase.. the good thing for government employees is that, their salary increase can be across the board, but for us in the private sectors, we find it hard to plea for increase from our administrators.. sometimes, we even need to have a wage hike for our salary to increase.. this is why I really wanted to transfer in a government office.. however, its not that easy since government positions nowadays are offered only to those who have relatives in the office.. I mean, even if I would apply, they would prefer to get somebody whom they are related.. they don't mostly consider the transcripts and other documents.. what a bitter reality for us Filipinos..
@ybong007 (6643)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
Any increase whether in the salary of COLA is fine with me. We need this particularly those who earns minimum only. It may not be that much but considering how the prices of commodities increased over the past few months, any salary increase is very much welcome.
