No wage hike order by tomorrow, workers concede

The country’s largest coalition of labor groups has conceded that it was impossible for the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPBs) to issue by tomorrow an order granting a salary adjustment for workers in Metro Manila.

The Labor Solidarity Movement (LSM) claimed the wage board has yet to even undertake any public hearing or consultation.

"Traditionally, the board calls for public hearings and consultations after a petition. They have not done that. So there is no wage order coming tomorrow or even this week," LSM spokesman Alex Aguilar said.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas earlier said the NCR board has already been deliberating on the LSM petition and that a wage order could be expected by Aug. 15.

The LSM had asked the NCR board to grant an additional P77 to the P250 minimum wage in Metro Manila, citing the increase in the prices of refined petroleum products, basic commodities and essential services.

The regional board, which usually takes two to three months to deliberate on wage petitions, had been directed by Sto. Tomas to hasten the deliberations.

Aguilar noted that the LSM, as petitioner, has yet to be called by the NCR board to attend any public hearing.

The LSM has filed wage petitions in two other regions, namely Ilocos for a P70 hike and Cagayan Valley for P60.

Meanwhile, the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno picketed the offices of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) in Makati yesterday, condemning the group for opposing workers’ demand for a substantial wage hike.

"From the start, ECOP has been manipulating the regional wage boards. They are press-ganging on the wage boards to keep workers pinned to the floor to make certain that their profits remain untouched," KMU spokesman Sammy Malunes said.

Malunes said the wage boards are likely to grant an increase of no more than P27. He added that there is no truth to ECOP’s claim that owners of businesses are not capable of giving a sufficient wage hike to employers.

KMU has been pressing for a P125 across-the-board wage hike, saying it is the only way workers and their families can cope with the rising cost of basic goods and services. – With Sandy Araneta, Romel Bagares