Employers' federation to hold forum on wage hike

CEBU, Philippines - The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) will be holding a forum on the issue on wage increase.

Eric Mendoza, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said they will tackle the issue on “transformation”, wherein wage hike is not the solution for workers to cope with the high price of living.

“Wage increase is inflationary,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza explained that a worker’s place of work must be near his or her place of residence to save time and resources. A workplace that’s far from the worker’s house entails physical and mental stress, which in effect creates financial stress, he said.

“That’s why no matter how much is your salary, it is not enough. You spend so much time in going to work as well as your fare,” he said.

The Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines filed a P100-across the board daily wage hike for workers in Central Visayas, while the Alliance of Progressive Labor likewise asked for a P120-across the board increase in daily wages. However, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-VII declared that there is no “supervening condition” that would merit a wage increase.

The RTWPB-VII approved a wage increase in September 2010 and under the rules, wage boards are not allowed to adjust worker’s salaries a year after the last increase unless they find there are “supervening conditions”. 

Despite of the board’s declaration that there is no supervening condition for an increase, it nevertheless conducted a series of wage hike consultations among various stakeholders in the Region. The last leg will be held in Tagbilaran, Bohol today.

Lawyer Ernesto Carreon, one of the labor representatives to the wage board, said that after consultations in Tagbilaran, the board will discuss again the determination of the so-called “supervening conditions”.

The wage board, which is composed of seven members, should vote to declare the presence of supervening conditions. — (FREEMAN)