"Win-win" wage order eyed for CV

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-7 sees the point of both the labor sector and the employers in yesterday’s wage hike consultation, the third and last leg of consultations in Central Visayas.

“Maayo ang mga punto sa duha kagrupo, puro sila naa’y basehan, (Both groups have good points. They both have basis.)” said Ma. Gloria Tango, the chairperson of the RTWPB-7.

However, Tango, who also heads the Department of Labor and Employment-7, said the RTWPB still needs to consolidate all the inputs they have gathered from both sectors yesterday before they could arrive at a decision whether or not to grant the labor sector’s petitions.

Tango said the board will meet again on the second Thursday of July to study the consolidated inputs before they arrive at a decision “as early as possible.”

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) filed a P90 per day wage hike while the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) filed a daily P121.84 wage adjustment for workers in Central Visayas before RTWPB-7.

The RTWPB-7 conducted the consultations to take note of the stakeholders’ opinions which will then assist them in determining the existence of supervening conditions that would merit another round of wage increase.

As a general rule, any Wage Order issued by the Regional Boards may not be disturbed for a period of twelve (12) months from its effectivity, and no petition for a wage increase shall be entertained within the said period.

In the event, however, that supervening conditions, such as extraordinary increase in prices of petroleum products and basic goods/services, demand a review of the minimum wage rates as determined by the Board and confirmed by the Commission, the Board shall proceed to exercise its wage-fixing functions even before the expiration of the said period.

Representatives of some government agencies yesterday presented data regarding the prices of fuel and basic commodities, respectively, from the time the last wage hike was approved last September 22 up to now.

The presentation was conducted to inform the stakeholders of the economic conditions in region 7.

Buenaventura Go-Soco, Jr., RTWPB-7 vice-chairperson and National Economic and Development Authority-7 head, presented the economic situation of Central Visayas as of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012.

“The economy of Central Visayas performed very well last year. Major industries in the region continue to expand,” Go-Soco said, as he enumerated the industries.

Asteria Caberte,who is also a vice-chairperson of RTWPB-7 and head of the Department of Trade and Industry-7, presented the price of the commodities in the region which she said is generally stable as well as the trend on Petroleum prices which decreased from June 2011 to June 2012 .

Arthur Barrit, spokesperson of ALU-TUCP, said they are disappointed with the pronouncement of the different government agencies yesterday.

“The fact the we filed the P90 wage increase, we’re not basing that out of thin air, but on actual needs sa mga tawo (…of the people). The DTI presentation is not reflective of the prices found in the market,” Barrit said.

Representatives of the labor sector yesterday pleaded to the RTWPB-7 to grant the wage increase.

“We feel everybody’s concern. We assure to come up with a win-win wage order,” Caberte said.

Meanwhile, Bobby Belarmino of the Cebu Labor Coalition said that the big disparity of the wages in Manila and Cebu is strange. The minimum wage in Central Visayas is 305 pesos; while in Manila is 456 pesos. The difference is 151 pesos.

Businessman Philip Tan of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that a disparity of wages is made in order to create difference so that businessmen will invest in other regions. There are many businessmen investing in Cebu, Dumaguete and Cagayan De Oro because of low wages. — (FREEMAN)