RTWPB-7 to start wage review

CEBU, Philippines —  The chairperson of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Central Visayas says it will now start reviewing the existing wage rates in the different provinces in the region after one year since the last wage order was issued.

RTWPB-7 chairperson Salome Siaton said they have not started the process on time due to the pandemic. She said the review should have been done in the last part of 2020 yet.

As prescribed under the omnibus rules on minimum wage determination set by the National Wages and Productivity Commission, the regional wage board may begin the process of determining the applicable wage rates on its own or by virtue of a petition.

The Partido Manggagawa-Cebu is calling for a P100 across-the-board wage increase to help workers recover their lost purchasing power. PM-Cebu spokesperson Dennis Derige said the daily minimum wage of P394 in Metro Cebu has already been eroded to P320 in real wage.

Associated Labor Unions (ALU) spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said they do not dismiss the possibility of asking for wage increase but they are carefully monitoring and assessing the situation when is the best time to file wage hike petition amid the pandemic.

Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Steven Yu said that asking for wage increase in the middle of a pandemic is not the right time.

“With the pandemic, the businesses are struggling to stay afloat. If we increase the minimum wage, many business owners may just decide to close their businesses permanently,” Yu said.

For his part, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Felix Taguiam said they will leave the issue for the wage board to discuss. However, he said that businesses are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19. 

Aside from calling for wage increase, PM is also asking the government for another round of cash assistance in response to the soaring prices of basic commodities and the workers losing their jobs.

“The working poor and unemployed Filipinos need immediate relief through a combo—umento mula sa kapitalista at ayuda mula sa gobyerno,” said Derige. — FPL (FREEMAN)