Board junks wage hike push

CEBU, Philippines — The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-7 junked the P150 across-the-board wage increase petition for all workers in Central Visayas.

"The wage board scrapped the petition during our meeting today," Jose Tomongha, one of the two labor representatives to the wage board, said yesterday.

Tomongha added that the three government representatives (Department of Labor and Employment, National Economic Development Authority and Department of Trade and Industry) have declared that there is no "supervening conditions" that would merit the board to entertain the petition.

"We are dismayed about the decision because for us, there are supervening conditions," said Metudio Belarmino, spokesperson of the five petitioners.

But Belarmino said they will file another petition anytime.

Tomongha added that the labor representatives to the wage board were convinced that there are supervening conditions which run counter to the position of the business/management sector representative to the wage board.

Under the one-year ban rule, the wage board will not entertain any wage petitions within one year from the date of implementation of the latest wage increase, unless there are supervening conditions.

The wage hike petitioners in their five-page petition had said that since the effectivity of Wage Order number 21  that was implemented last August 3, 2018, development of the Region presents supervening conditions that warrant and justify a review of the wage structure and the issuance of a new wage order.

It can be recalled the RTWPB-7 under Wage Order 21 has approved a P10 to P52 daily wage increase for the minimum wage earners in the private sector in Central Visayas.

Belarmino added that he will re-compute the amount which this time will include the increase in the excise tax on fuel and the new increase in the prices of fuel.

"When we filed the petition, the fuel prices consistently increased.  Yes, it decreased but this will surely increase again.  And even if the prices decreased last December, the prices of commodities remain high," said Blelarmino.

The wage hike petitioners are the Cebu Labor Coalition, Lonbisco Employees Organization, Nagkaisang Lakas ng Manggagawa-Katipunan, Metaphil Workers Union and Unionbank Employees Association.

Among the grounds for the petition were insufficient increases from the past, the reduction of the purchasing power of the peso, unstable oil prices, inflation rate, consumer prices index, R-VAT, increases in the prices of basic commodities, increases in tuition fees, implementation of the TRAIN Law and impending fare increase.

"The organized labor demand for a P150.00 across the board wage adjustment in the minimum wage does not live up to the constitutionally guaranteed living wage," the petition reads.

RTWPB-7 chairman Johnson Cañete said that he will issue a statement once they have signed the resolution regarding their recent decision. (FREEMAN)