Labor groups formally opposed a Pasig City court order suspending a recently implemented P85 daily minimum wage increase in Metro Manila on Monday, August 3, 2026. Workers and union leaders filed a motion to lift the temporary restraining order, arguing that the judicial halt undermines lawful tripartite wage determination.
Labor Groups File Urgent Intervention Against Pasig Court TRO
The legal challenge stems from a petition filed by Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-11 Builders Inc. The construction firms argued that the mandated wage increase would inflate operating expenses and trigger layoffs. In response, labor leaders mobilized outside the court and the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila to demand the immediate dissolution of the court order, which reverted the daily minimum wage for non-agricultural employees back from P755 to P695 pending further review.
Integrity of Tripartite Wage Process Under Fire
Union leaders stressed that the stalled pay hike was the result of extensive consultations, public hearings, and deliberations conducted by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-National Capital Region under the Labor Code. Sonny Matula, chairman of NAGKAISA and national president of the Federation of Free Workers, criticized the court’s intervention as a threat to labor settlements.
“This intervention is about defending not only the P85 wage increase but the integrity of the tripartite wage determination process itself. Once a duly issued wage order can be frozen with little resistance, every future wage victory becomes vulnerable to the same attack.”
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Sonny Matula, NAGKAISA chairman and national president of the Federation of Free Workers, via Philstar
Matula added that allowing the suspension to stand effectively legalizes the withholding of hard-earned worker gains through protracted legal battles. Similarly, Partido Manggagawa chairperson Renato Magtubo condemned the court’s responsiveness to corporate complaints amid ongoing economic pressures.
“It is deeply unjust that the plea of a handful of wealthy corporations was acted upon with such urgency while the daily hardship of minimum wage earners received little consideration. Courts should not become instruments for delaying the constitutional commitment to social justice by shielding powerful business interests at the expense of workers who can barely make ends meet.”
Renato Magtubo, Partido Manggagawa chairperson, via gmanetwork.com
Legislative Backing and Senate Pressure on the Judiciary
The controversy drew sharp rebukes from lawmakers, with Senate leaders moving to counter the lower court’s action. Senate Majority Leader warned that allowing lower courts to meddle in regional wage board decisions sets a dangerous precedent for future pay adjustments. Senators pointed to Article 126 of the Labor Code, which explicitly prohibits courts from issuing injunctions or temporary restraining orders against wage-setting proceedings.
Lawmakers noted that the domestic inflation rate sits at 6.4 percent, a steep climb from 1 percent the previous year, which has severely eroded consumer purchasing power. In response to the deadlock, senators backed a proposed resolution prodding the Supreme Court to review and lift the Pasig court’s directive. Meanwhile, the Office of the Solicitor General filed a separate manifestation before the RTC urging the immediate lifting of the TRO.
DOLE Response and Ongoing Uncertainty for Workers
While labor groups welcomed government legal efforts, protesters at the central office criticized the Department of Labor and Employment for initially complying with the judicial suspension rather than aggressively defending the order in court. Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino faced demonstrators at the Manila office, urging calm as legal proceedings unfolded.
Photo: gmanetwork.com
“I am your ally in tripartism. I am your ally in increasing the workers’ salary. I am your ally in pushing for the dignity of every Filipino worker.”
Francis Tolentino, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary, via Philstar
Tolentino maintained that the agency remains confident the issue will reach a resolution through due process. The temporary restraining order remains in effect until August 13, leaving Metro Manila workers facing delayed pay increases while legal battles continue in Pasig City.
TRO sa ₱85 wage hike sa NCR, ipinrotesta ng labor groups | One Balita Pilipinas
