However, officials of Association of Labor Unions are still deliberating on how much they would be asking from the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.
This after the Alliance of Progressive Labor and its allied groups filed for P95 adjustment in the daily minimum wage last Monday.
Joy Lim, ALU information and advocacy officer, said although it is not yet a year after the regional wage board granted the P15 wage adjustment, there are supervening events like the increase in oil prices and hike in prices of basic commodities that can be considered why they seek an increase in wage.
ALU filed for petition seeking for a P75 adjustment in the daily minimum wage of workers in Central Visayas in April last year. In July of the same year, RTWPB issued a wage order granting P15 adjustment, increasing wages of workers in the region to P223 a day.
Last Monday, APL together with its allied organizations Employees Association of Robinson's Supermarket, Shemberg Employees Independent Union, Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa LBF Hardware, Kan-irag Employees Labor Organization and Public Interest Advocacy and Litigation Office submitted their petition before the RTWPB.
In their petition, workers said that since the P15 wage adjustment took effect in July last year, there are lots of supervening events that warrant and justify the review of the existing wage structure and issuance of the new wage order.
They cited the implementation of 10 percent Reformed Value Added Tax in November last year and increase of the same to 12 percent this year that resulted to spiraling oil price increases, hike in prices of basic commodities and decrease in workers' purchasing power as reasons for seeking hike in basic wage. - Wenna A. Berondo