Wage board to discuss salary hike

CEBU, Philippines - The members of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Central Visayas have decided to meet again after the Holy Week so they can discuss the possibility of another round of increase in the salaries of workers in the private sector.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 7 Acting Director Exequil Sarcauga, who sits as chairman of the wage board, said they had a meeting last Tuesday night to brief the members of the existing economic situation in the region.

During the closed-door meeting at the Casino Español de Cebu, Sarcauga said the RTWPB Secretariat presented to the members of the wage board the details of the Central Visayas economy after the series of fuel price increases implemented by the petroleum dealers.

Sarcauga admitted that the data presented by the RTWPB Secretariat showed that some prices of the basic commodities had gone up. But he refused to say whether this is already a ground for the granting of another round of wage increase.

The Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) had asked the RTWPB in Central Visayas to grant a P100-increase in the daily salaries of workers in the private sectors, citing the series of fuel price hikes that triggered the increase of the prices of basic commodities.

In September last year or about six months ago, the RTWPB granted an P18-daily wage increase in the salaries of private workers in Central Visayas, bringing to P285 the daily minimum wage.

One of the possible problems that the labor sector may encounter in future deliberations is the fact that until now, only Marianito Ventura is representing the labor sector in the wage board.

Malacañang has yet to act on the recommendation of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) to designate a replacement of lawyer Jose Boquecosa, who used to be the representative of ALU-TUCP to the wage board.

The other members of the wage board are the regional directors of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for the government sector, lawyer Hidelito Pascual and Charles Streegan representing the management sector and Ventura, the lone labor sector representative.

In past deliberations, the labor sector often accused the government sector representatives in the wage board of conniving with the management in deciding against the request of the workers. — (FREEMAN)