Unions seek new adjustments: New daily wages no longer enough

Workers, adopting a different tack than drivers, are embarking on a more realistic approach toward addressing rising costs brought on by soaring oil prices.

Coming on the heels of a failed attempt last Thursday by drivers to bring the country to a halt with a crippling transport strike, workers yesterday announced a coming petition to seek at least a P150 adjustment in daily wages.

At least 18 labor organizations, two labor centers and four labor federations have signed the final draft of the petition, expected to be filed next week with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board.

 Jose Tomongha, chairman of the Alliance of Progressive Labor, said his group has united with other big labor unions in seeking the wage increase.

He said the spiraling prices of oil products are greatly affecting the earning capacities of workers.

Tomongha said that while the wage board has already granted a P9 increase in minimum wages to workers in Metro Cebu and P5 to the rest of Central Visayas only last September, this has already been negated and rendered inadequate by the continuing escalation of oil prices.

Worse, there is also the possibility of an adjustment in transport fares after transport groups decided to forego further strikes that will only affect the innocent public and instead push for an earlier petition with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for a P1.50 increase on the present P6 minimum fare for the first four kilometers.

The petition for a fare hike was filed last November 19 by the Cebu Integrated Transport Services Multi-Purpose Cooperative, the Visayas United Drivers Transport Cooperative, the Carmen Drivers-Conductors Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Danao PUJ Operators-Drivers MPC, and the Liloan Operators and Drivers Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The LTFRB 7 has already started public hearings on the petition.

Transport groups said the prices of oil and petroleum products have jumped more than 15 times in recent months.

In February, progressive labor groups filed a petition seeking a P136 adjustment in minimum wages of workers in Central Visayas but the regional wage board only granted P9 for workers in Metro Cebu and P5 in the rest of the region. The wage hike, which took effect last November 11, makes the daily wage in Metro Cebu from P241 to P250.

 Tomongha however said the increase is not enough to raise the purchasing power of the workers who have been greatly affected by the increase in prices of basic commodities.

He said that sought for P150 is not actually an increase but an adjustment of daily wages to enable workers to cope with the high price of basic commodities. ( Wenna Berondo/JST )