Wage board deliberations continue

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board-7 is currently discussing the presentations of Region  7’s economic indicators to determine supervening conditions as a basis for any wage increases or wage adjustments.

Jose Tomongha, one of the labor representatives of the wage board, said that this is what they have done so far in their meeting yesterday with the other members of the board.

The board is scheduled to meet again on April 26 for another deliberation on the matter.

Tomongha, who is also the chairman of the Alliance of Progressive Labor filed for a P121.84-wage adjustment for all the workers in Central Visayas. The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, meanwhile, filed for a P90-wagehike petition for all the workers in Central Visayas last month before the RTWPB-7.

Ferdinand Jumapao, ALU-TUCP area vice president, in the petition stated that the P20-increase for minimum wage earners that was granted by RTWPB-7 last September 22 is already overtaken by the continuing increases in the prices of oil and its products like the liquified petroleum gas, utilities and basic goods and services.

The wage board has to determine first the presence of a supervening condition as this would be the basis whether to grant any wage increase considering that the board is barred to entertain any wagehike petition as of the moment.

RTWPV-7 has approved wage increase in September 2012 and under the rules, wage boards are not allowed to adjust worker’s salaries for a year after the last increase unless they found a presence of “supervening conditions”.  (FREEMAN)