The Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board in Central Visayas has assured that it will meet its deadline by the end of May in deciding how much increase it can give to workers in response to President Arroyo's call for a hike in wages.
"Because of the increasing cost in the prices of fuel and rice, we're calling for a meeting of the regional wage boards all over the country so that every region can discuss how we can help...the workers cope with the rising world prices of oil and rice," Arroyo said the other day.
Wage boards approve different increases per region depending on the cost of living in the area, but in Metro Cebu, the last wage increase for private sector workers, amounting to P9 per day, was implemented last November."
RTWPB chairman Elias Cayanong, during the 888 News Forum yesterday, said that the region is already open for wage increases yet it still needs reviews by the board to make sure that the raise will meet the regions' inflation and employment rates.
"We are looking for the capacity of the management of companies to absorb should there be an increase. We are also looking for valid reasons for the increase," Cayanong said.
"Under labor laws, only one wage increase is allowed a year unless "supervening conditions" call for another hike. "Cayanong said that so far different labor groups in Central Visayas have asked for a P150 increase in wages.
Meanwhile, Mayor Tomas Osmeña made it clear that what he meant when he said he is for the "abolition of the minimum wage" is that it would be better for workers to earn P2,000 than nothing.
"Sige ta'g demand pasaka sa minimum wage. Sayop na," he said.
He also said that what he meant is to stop demanding a hike in minimum wage and start establishing an environment that's friendly to investors who could expand the reach of export processing zones like in Negros and Bohol.
This way, families would be given the chance to have at least two breadwinners each like that in China, Osmeña said. - Jasmin R. Uy and Jo-ana Marie Desuyo, CNU intern/MEEV